# Olive (*Olea europaea*) The olive tree is a special tree that grows small, tasty olives. These trees can live for a very long time and are often found in sunny places. They are important for making olive oil, which many people love to use in cooking. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Coastal areas - **Also known as:** European Olive ![Olive](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/El_Perell%C3%B3_-_Old_olive_tree.jpg&width=800) Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Perell%C3%B3_-_Old_olive_tree.jpg) ## Appearance The Olive has a gnarled, often thick trunk and dense canopy of slender, silvery-green leaves. Its small, creamy-white flowers give way to oval fruits that ripen from green to dark purple or black, making them distinct from many other trees. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Oleaceae - **Genus:** Olea ## Interesting facts - Ancient Olympic champions were crowned with wreaths made of olive branches! - It takes hundreds of olives to make just one bottle of olive oil! - Olive oil can float on water, making it easy to separate! - Wild olive trees have tiny, bitter fruits, very different from the ones we eat! ## Special abilities - **Drought Master:** Olive has deep roots and waxy leaves that help it survive for a long time in very dry and hot climates. - **Ancient Survivor:** Olive trees can live for hundreds, even thousands, of years, continuing to produce fruit over many generations. - **Salt Defender:** Olive can tolerate salty soil and sea breezes, which helps it thrive in coastal regions where other plants struggle. - **Tough Timber:** Olive has extremely hard, dense wood that makes it resistant to decay and strong winds, helping it stand firm. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 300-2000 cm - **Spread:** 200-1500 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to early Summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Wind ## Ecological connections - **Parasitizes:** Olive fruit fly (*Bactrocera oleae*) — Lays eggs in the fruit, larvae consume pulp. - **Eats:** Eurasian Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — Consumes ripe olive fruits and disperses seeds. - **Symbiotic with:** Mycorrhizal fungus (*Glomus mosseae*) — Helps olive roots absorb nutrients from soil. - **Parasitizes:** Olive psyllid (*Euphyllura olivina*) — Sucks sap from leaves and young shoots. ## Traits - [Broadleaf Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/broadleaf-tree): Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Fruit Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-tree): A fruit tree is a perennial tree that produces fruit, which is edible to humans or animals. - [Oil Crop](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/oil-crop): This human use trait identifies species cultivated as oil crops, harvested for their seeds or fruits from which vegetable oils are extracted for food, fuel, or industrial uses. - [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't eat olives from trees unless an adult says it's okay. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Olive? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Olive? 300-2000 cm ### How wide does Olive spread? 200-1500 cm ### How big are the flowers on Olive? 0.3-0.5 cm ### When does Olive bloom? Spring to early Summer ### Is Olive edible? Yes ### Is Olive toxic? None ### What is Olive's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Cabrera Archipelago National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cabrera-archipelago-national-park) — Spain, ES · National Park - [Agnews Developmental Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/agnews-developmental-center) — California, US · Historic District - [Golden Hill](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/golden-hill) — California, US · Neighborhood - [Hofgarten Ansbach](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hofgarten-ansbach) — Bayern, DE · Park - [Luisenpark Mannheim](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/luisenpark-mannheim) — Baden-Württemberg, DE · Park - [Blühendes Barock, Schloss Ludwigsburg](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bluhendes-barock-schloss-ludwigsburg) — Baden-Württemberg, DE · Park [View all places to see Olive](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/olive) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Olive: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/olive)