Olive

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the tree and the fruit. For other uses, see Olive (disambiguation). For olive oil, see Olive oil.
"Olive grove", "Olive tree", and "Olive wood" redirect here. For other uses, see Olive grove (disambiguation), Olive tree (disambiguation), and Olive wood (disambiguation).

Olive
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene to recent, 0.06–0 Ma
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Olivesfromjordan.jpg
Olea europaea

Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Genus: Olea
Species:
O. europaea
Binomial name
Olea europaea
Olea europaea range.svg
Distribution map, with Olea europaea subsp. europaea shown in green

The olive, known by the botanical name Olea europaea, meaning "European olive", is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. The species is cultivated in all the countries of the Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and South Africa.[2][3] Olea europaea is the type species for the genus Olea.

The olive's fruit, also called an "olive", is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil; it is one of the core ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine. The tree and its fruit give their name to the plant family, which also includes species such as lilacs, jasmine, Forsythia, and the true ash trees (Fraxinus).

Etymology[]

The word olive derives from Latin ŏlīva ("olive fruit", "olive tree"),[4] possibly through Etruscan