Olive Cultivation

THE OLIVE TREE AND THE OLIVES

The cultivated olive tree (scientific name Olea europaea sativa; the wild olive tree, present in the spontaneous Mediterranean flora, is Olea europaea oleaster) is a fruit tree that belongs to the Oleaceae family. In the Oleaceae family, Olea Europaea is the only plant that produces edible fruit. In the right soil and climate conditions, the olive tree needs little to live and gives everything in return: its fruits allow the production of oil or direct consumption, its leaves have always been used in herbal pharmacopoeia, its wood is so hard and easy to polish that it is ideal for cabinet-making, lathe and inlay work, and so heavy that it has a high calorific value. In short, nothing of the olive tree is thrown away, like with the pig…

It is an undemanding plant with great adaptability, which loves heat and light, able to resist drought even when it lasts for many months (it fears harsh and especially late cold), evergreen because it does not undergo a true dormancy phase in the winter period, and so long-lived as to be practically immortal. The olive tree never dies: in fact, it has the ability to regenerate completely, both in the crown and in the root system, once these have been damaged or destroyed by re-emitting suckers from the collar. Symbolically, this plant has been considered sacred by all the peoples who have cultivated it