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The olive tree is an evergreen that can take on different shapes and sizes. Its lanceolate leaves are from 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in)long on average; they are green on the upper side and silver-gray on the lower, and last about 3 years.
The trunk is gray-green and smooth till about the tenth year, then it becomes knotty, twisted, rough with deep furrows, and it takes on a dark color, almost black.
At the bottom a wide stump can grow sprouts even after the trunk has been cut, thus assuring the survival of the tree. The roots are fasciculate and with many surface ramifications which absorb most of the nourishment. They spread horizontally up to 2-3 times the height of the tree, and in the most fertile soils they run up to 1.5 - 2 meters (4.9 - 6.6 feet) deep.
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Olive tree:
Dicotyledon, "Oleacee" family, "Olea" type, "Olea Europaea sativa D.C." or "Olea Europaea l." species.
Cultivation area:
temperate zones between 3Oø and 45ø north and south parallels.
Olive trees in the world:
800 million plants on 9,500,000 hectares
(23,750,000 acres)
Olive trees in the Mediterranean area:
700 million plants on 9,000,000 hectares
(22,500,000 acres)
Varieties of cultivar:
476 in Italy and thousands in the Mediterranean area. The great number is due to changes of the genotype (owing to fixed bud mutations or to spontaneous cross-pollination and subsequent dissemination), or to a fluctuation of characters due to environmental conditions.
Plant cycle:
from 0 to 7 years: unproductive installation (halfway through the period grafting is carried out, at 5 years, bedding out
from 7 to about 3O years: growth with a constant increase in productivity (with traditional systems production begins at 15/20 years; with modern systems at 5/10 years)
from 35 to 150 years: maturity and full production
over 150 years: aging starts, with a remarkable productivity for centuries and sometimes for thousands of years. |
