Olive tree or Olive tree

Olivo, ulivo or uliva which is the most correct form?

Olive tree, olive tree or olive tree? In the history of Italian literature there is an oscillating use of these forms; today we can say that Olivo is the most widespread and used term, Ulivo is a variant (very widespread in Tuscany), while Uliva is literary.

Having clarified this doubt, let's find out something more about its history and its characteristics.

Although its widespread diffusion in the Mediterranean basin dates back three or perhaps four millennia, during which it has acclimatized, reproduced and diversified, only relatively recently has the olive tree been the subject of in-depth botanical and agronomic studies, linked to the production of extra virgin olive oil . Today we can say that in the species Olea europea L

, belonging to the Oleaceae family, we can distinguish the varieties Oleaster , a wild plant that is an integral part of the ecosystem called Mediterranean scrub, and Sativa, the plant cultivated for the production of extra virgin olive oil.

If the spontaneous form (oleaster) has the appearance of a large bush, in the domestic one a single trunk usually prevails that can generate suckers and new roots from the foot. The possibility of replacing damaged limbs with other aerial and radical emissions is the secret of the legendary longevity of the species, for which there is no lack of evidence of plants considered millenary: from the olive tree called Plato's, in Athens, to those of the Garden of Gethsemane , emblematic is the gigantic olive tree of Canneto Sabino, near Rome, which is considered the oldest in Europe. Scientifically it has been established, through carbon C14 testing, that the date of birth dates back to the time of Ancus Marcius, fourth king of Rome.