Olea europaea
The olive (botanical name Olea europaea, "European olive") is a species of subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Originating in Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa and western Asia; modern cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. The olive is the type species for its genus, Olea, and lends its name to the Oleaceae plant family, which includes lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and ash. The olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar in structure and function to the cherry or p
AI overview
The olive (*Olea europaea*) is an evergreen tree originally from Asia Minor that is now widespread around the Mediterranean and other regions, and it is important enough to give its name to an entire plant family that includes lilacs, jasmine, and ash trees. The tree produces fruit that is botanically classified as a drupe, the same type of fruit structure found in cherries.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderLamiales
- FamilyOleaceae
Native toAfghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Baleares, Botswana, Burundi, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, China South-Central, Cyprus, Djibouti
Olea europaea est une espèce d’arbres ou d'arbustes de la famille des Oleaceae répandue à travers l'Afrique, l'Asie et l'Europe méditerranéenne et dont une variété a été domestiquée et cultivée pour devenir l'olivier. Au cours de l'histoire de la botanique, de nombreuses sous-espèces ont été décrites.
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Key facts
- Nutritional value.name
- Olives, green
- Nutritional value.image
- Olives vertes.JPG
- Nutritional value.caption
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Description
- Taxonomy
- Cultivars
- History
- Mediterranean Basin
- Expansion and propagation
- Outside the Mediterranean
- Americas
- Asia
- Global expansion
- Cultivation
- Growth and propagation
- Pests, diseases, and weather
- As an invasive species
- Harvesting
- Fermentation and curing
- Longevity
- Oldest living trees
- Global production
- Nutrition
- Phytochemicals
- Allergenicity
- Uses and properties
- Olive oil
- Table olives
- Olive wood
- Ornamental
- Olive mill wastewater
- Olive stone
- Environmental health and sustainability
- Symbolic and cultural significance
- See also
- References
- External links
The olive (botanical name Olea europaea, "European olive") is a species of subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Originating in Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa and western Asia; modern cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. The olive is the type species for its genus, Olea, and lends its name to the Oleaceae plant family, which includes lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and ash. The olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar in structure and function to the cherry or peach. The term oil was originally synonymous with olive oil, the liquid fat derived from olives.
The olive has deep historical, economic, and cultural significance in the Mediterranean. It is among the oldest fruit trees domesticated by humans, being first cultivated in the Eastern Mediterranean between 6,000 and 4,000 BC, most likely in the Levant. The olive gradually disseminated throughout the Mediterranean via trade and human migration starting in the 16th century BC; it took root in Crete around 3500 BC and reached Iberia by about 1050 BC. Olive cultivation was vital to the growth and prosperity of various Mediterranean civilizations, from the Minoans and Myceneans of the Bronze Age to the Greeks and Romans of classical antiquity.