Wild olive
Olea europaea var. sylvestris
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.
Wild olive in a syntropic line
Wild olive belongs in the Medium layer as a Climax productive species. The productive heart — most of your yield lives here. Rough in-row spacing starts around 5 m in a syntropic row. Good line partners include Leucaena, Tree medick. As a Climax species it is meant to stay for the long term — protect its light and root space as pioneers fade.
Tolerances and growing conditions
- 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
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Waterlogging tolerance
- Low
- Origin
- Mediterranean
- Native to Portugal
- Yes
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.
How to prune
Wild olive tolerates hard formative pruning well: cut for an open, vase-shaped centre by removing crossing branches, water sprouts and inward growth, and don't hesitate to cut back hard since it resprouts vigorously from base and stumps.
How to propagate
Take dormant hardwood cuttings in winter or layer low branches — both root readily.
Guidance, not a guarantee — success varies by species and skill.
What to watch out for
Slow to establish and can self-seed freely via birds, becoming weedy outside its native range. Its narrow leaves cast dappled shade suited to underplanting.
Frequently asked questions about Wild olive
Is wild olive frost-hardy?
Yes for winter cold in many climates — generally hardy to around -10°C when dormant, with medium frost tolerance in the catalog. Flowering crops can still lose a season to late frost, so site them carefully.
What soil does wild olive need?
It does best on rocky, loam ground, at pH about 5.5–8.5.
How much water does wild olive need?
Plan for a rainfall floor around 300 mm/year, plus low irrigation once established.
Can wild olive handle wet or waterlogged soil?
Poorly — wild olive has low waterlogging tolerance, so keep it off winter-wet clay and standing water.
What should I watch out for with wild olive?
Slow to establish and can self-seed freely via birds, becoming weedy outside its native range. Its narrow leaves cast dappled shade suited to underplanting.
Wild olive in soil templates
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