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Scientific Name
Synonyms
Family
Common Names
Origin
Cultivation
Naturalised Distribution
Habitat
Habit
Distinguishing Features
Stems and Leaves
Flowers and Fruit
Reproduction and Dispersal
Environmental Impact
Legislation
Management
Similar Species
Sponsor
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Click on images to enlarge

habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

younger leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of stem and greenish-brown leaf undersides (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of hooked leaf tips (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

flower clusters (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of flowers (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

immature and mature fruit (Photo: Jackie Miles)

seedlings (Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, USGS)

young plant (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata

Scientific Name

Olea europaea L. subsp. cuspidata (Wall. ex G. Don) Cif.

Synonyms

Olea africana Mill.
Olea chrysophylla Lam.
Olea europaea L. subsp. africana (Mill.) P. Green
Olea europaea L. var. nubica Schweinf. ex Baker

Family

Oleaceae

Common Names

African olive, brown olive, olive, olive tree, small-fruited olive, wild olive

Origin

African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) is native to Africa (i.e. Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland), Madagascar, the Mascarenes (i.e. Mauritius and La Reunion), western Asia (i.e. Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iran), the Indian sub-continent (i.e. northern India, Nepal and Pakistan) and western China.

Cultivation

Cultivated as a garden ornamental, but also grown commercially for its fruit and for the production of olive oil.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in eastern Australia (i.e. in the coastal and sub-coastal districts of eastern New South Wales). Also naturalised in south-eastern South Australia and on Norfolk Island.

Habitat

A weed of warmer temperate and semi-arid regions, particularly those with a Mediterranean type climate. It becomes naturalised in open woodlands, parks, lowland grasslands, waste areas and along roadsides and waterways.

Habit

An evergreen tree usually growing 2-10 m tall, but occasionally reaching up to 15 m in height.

Distinguishing Features

Stems and Leaves

The much-branched stems are greenish-black to silvery-green in colour and mostly held upright (i.e. erect). Older stems have a rough bark that is light or dark grey in colour, while younger stems are smooth or slightly ribbed.

The leaves are oppositely arranged with entire margins, that are often turned under (i.e. recurved). They are elongated in shape (6-10 cm long and 1-4 cm wide) and usually have hooked tips. These leaves also have glossy dark green upper surfaces and greenish or yellowish-brown coloured lower surfaces.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers are borne in small clusters at the ends of the branches or in the leaf forks (i.e. axils). They are creamy white in colour with four small petals joined into a very short tube (i.e. corolla tube) at the base (about 1-2 mm long) with lobes about 3 mm long. Flowering occurs mostly during spring.

The distinctive oval fruit (i.e. ellipsoid drupes) are green when immature and turn purplish-black in colour as they mature. These fruit (15-30 mm long and 6-20 mm wide) have a single 'stone' in the centre surrounded by oily flesh. The 'stone' is a hard brown seed that is oblong in shape (10-15 mm long).

Reproduction and Dispersal

This species reproduces mainly by seed, however it also produces suckers after plants are damaged.

Seeds are most commonly dispersed when the fruit are eaten by birds and other animals (e.g. foxes).

Environmental Impact

African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) is regarded as a significant environmental weed in New South Wales and on Norfolk Island. It was recently also listed as a priority environmental weed in at least one Natural Resource Management region.

Legislation

This species is declared under legislation in the following states and territories:

Management

For information on the management of this species see the following resources:

Similar Species

African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) can be distinguished from common olive (Olea europaea subsp. europaea) by the following differences:

Olives (Olea europaea) can also be confused with some native species (especially when not in fruit) including Australian olive (Olea paniculata), the mock olives (Notelaea spp.) and boonaree (Alectryon oleifolius). These species can be distinguished by the following differences:


This fact sheet has been updated thanks to the sponsorship of Sunshine Coast Council.