Wild olive
Olea europaea var. sylvestris
MediumClimax
Production
The wild olive: smaller and tougher than its cultivated cousin, thriving on bare rock with almost no water. Resprouts hard from the base, so it takes shaping well, but is slow to establish.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Medium
- Lifecycle
- Climax
- Soil preference
- Rocky, Loam
- Soil pH range
- 5.5 – 8.5
- Min. temperature
- -10°C
- Min. rainfall
- 300 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Extremely drought- and heat-hardy understory tree. Resprouts vigorously from the base and stump, so it tolerates hard coppicing and formative shaping well.
Watch out for
Slow to establish and can self-seed freely via birds, becoming weedy outside its native range. Corrected canopy_type from Dense to Light — its narrow leaves cast dappled shade suited to underplanting.
Design your line to see how your land fits Wild olive.
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