Olea

Olea is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. It comprises about 20 species native to Africa, the Canary Islands, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, with Olea europaea, the olive tree, being the most economically important. The genus name derives from the Latin oliva, meaning olive.

Olea europaea is an evergreen tree or shrub that typically reaches 5–12 meters in cultivation. Leaves are opposite, lanceolate, and leathery, usually 4–10 cm long with a dark green adaxial surface and a silvery underside. The small flowers are pale yellow to white and produced in loose panicles. The fruit is a drupe, about 1–2 cm long, green at first and maturing to yellow, purple, or black when ripe.

Olives from the cultivated olive (Olea europaea) are used for both eating as table olives and for oil. Olive oil is produced by pressing the fruit and is a staple of Mediterranean cuisine; extra-virgin olive oil denotes high-quality, cold-pressed oil. The tree and its fruit are also valued for timber and ornamental use.

Ecology and cultivation: Olives require a warm climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. They are drought-tolerant and can grow in poor, well-drained soils but are sensitive to severe frost. They are long-lived and often reach advanced ages in cultivation. Propagation is typically by cuttings or seed.

Significance: The olive tree has played a central role in Mediterranean culture for thousands of years and remains widely cultivated in regions with suitable climates, including parts of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and Australia. The genus Olea thus refers to the group of species including the domesticated olive and numerous wild relatives.