Olive tree
The olive tree is a small tree. Its scientific name is Olea europaea. A long time ago, it came from the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean, from Syria and the maritime (next to the sea) parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. It has been farmed for a very long time. The Ancient Greeks were farming it. They spread the trees to the western part of the Mediterranean.
| Olive | |
|---|---|
| |
| Olea europaea | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Streptophyta |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Olea |
| Species: | O. europaea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Olea europaea | |
| |
| Distribution map, with Olea europaea subsp. europaea shown in green | |
Olive trees like soil with lots of chalk in it. They grow best on limestone slopes and crags in coastal climate.
Overview
The Wild Olive is a small tree or shrub that grows up to 8–15 m tall with thorny branches. The leaves are opposite, 4–10 cm long and 1–3 cm wide. The leaves have a dark greyish-green color above and are pale with whitish scales below. The small white flowers, with calyx and corolla divided into four parts, two stamens and bifid stigma, are mostly on the last year's wood, in racemes coming up from the axils of the leaves. The fruit is a small drupe 1–2 cm long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than in orchard cultivars.
Uses
Today, olive trees are grown for the following reasons:
- The fruit of the tree is used:
- The wood of the tree is very hard. It is used to make furniture or articles of everyday use.
- The leaves of the tree have some medical uses. It is said that the leaves have a calming effect. They are good for people going to sleep. They are also good for the immune system and to bring down high levels of cholesterol. The oil is good for the cardiovascular system (the heart, and the arteries, etc.) and the circulation of fat in the body.[2]
The numbers behind
In total, about 17.3 million tons of olives are produced every year. 60% of all olive trees are in the European Union. The top producers are:
Cultural significance
Very probably, the first olive trees were grown in Syria. From there they spread rapidly. In Ancient Greece, the tree was considered to be holy. Some city states (polis) like Athens punished people for cutting down olive trees.
The branches in the flag of the United Nations are those of an olive tree.
In Christianity, the olive tree can be a sign of peace, because according to the Bible, a dove brought an olive branch to Noah to show that the flood was over.
The olive tree is the National tree of Palestine.
Olive Tree Media
Olive tree. A flowering branch (natural size); 1 unopened flower, enlarged; 2 open flowers, ditto.; 3 split and separated flower, ditto.; 4 anthers (pollen vessels) from front and back, ditto.; 5 pollen grains, ditto.; 6 defoliated flower, without crown, ditto.; 7 same in longitudinal section, ditto.; 8 ovarium in cross section, ditto.; 9 stone, natural size; 10 same in longitudinal section, ditto.; 11 stone bowl, seen from edge, ditto.; 12 same in longitudinal section, ditto.; 13 same, the narrow side in longitudinal section, ditto.; 14 same in cross section.
Greek vase showing two bearded men and a youth gathering olives from a tree, by the Antimenes Painter (ca. 520–510 BC).
Woman with red hair wearing a garland of olives, from Herculaneum, sometime before the city's destruction in 79 AD.
Vat room used for curing at Graber Olive House
Olive cookware in Montenegro at the "Carp Day" festival at the Plavnica Eco Resort near Podgorica, Montenegro
Areas of cultivation in green
Olive orchards next to road A-3176 towards Villaharta, Andalucia, Spain.
Pruned trees in Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
References
- ↑ Magos Brehm, J.; Draper Munt, D.; Kell, S.P. (2011). "Olea europaea (errata version published in 2016)". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011. e.T63005A102150835. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ↑ "How To Use Olive Oil As Medicine". NaturalON - Natural Health News and Discoveries. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
Other websites
- Olive at Plants for a Future
- International Olive Oil Council Includes studies on health benefits
- The California Olive Oil Council
- Resource portal for olive oil
- Olive Oil Times
- Information about growing olive trees Archived 2006-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
- The history and gastronomy of the olive and olive oil in Spain