Home Page
Activities
General Information
 
The Oleaceae Family
 
Israeli Olives – A Comparative Table
 
Olive Varieties and Their Enhancement
 
Cultural Usage
Recipes
Links
Contact Form
Site Map

General Information > The Oleaceae Family

Adi Guttman-Abramson

 

The Oleaceae Family is comprised of trees, shrubs and climbers, usually with opposing leaves. In most cases the flower is comprised of four cup leaves. The fruit is a berry, drupe or capsule.  

Prevalent in temperate tropical and sub-tropical climates, the Oleaceae Family is comprised of 22 varieties and approximately 400 sub-varieties. The Oleaceae Family is divided into two main segments: Olivial and Jasminian. Both varieties grow in Israel.

The most important member of the Oleaceae Family is the Olive (Olea), with 35 varieties prevalent mainly in South Africa, Australia and India. Of these, only one variety has economic potential: Olea Europaea, the European Olive.

Olea Europaea is a fruit tree whose cultivation origins date back prior to the Bronze Age. It was widespread in the Middle East as attested to by the many dispersed olive press remnants found in the area as well as names of ancient settlements linking them to olive production. The Bible describes the olive as one of the seven species that bless the Holy Land.

It is believed that the variety was initially introduced to northern Africa and Greece by the Semitic inhabitants of the Middle East and Syria. From there it spread to Southern Europe and other geographical areas (America, Australia, Southern Africa). The variety’s origins and original growing areas are undoubtedly the Mediterranean countries.

Other varieties of this family include:  Lilac, Ligstroum, Jasmine.

 

 

Olives in the Land of Israel:
“Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts”, Deuteronomy 28:40

The olive varieties cultivated in Israel are enhancements of local and Mediterranean varieties, with trees reaching a height of 3-7 meters. The root system is strong and diverse.   Olives are cultivated as both irrigated and non-irrigated crops. The tree trunks are scarred and pitted, and with age become hollow – this being one of the main reasons it is difficult to determine a tree’s age by counting rings.

Adjacent to the trunk, the olive tree develops many stems that serve as seedlings – or shoots. The trunk forks out at the top into many branches,  giving the tree its broad features. This is also the reason why the tree is sometimes used as an ornamental tree for shading.
 
The olive is a perennial species. It has elongated, opposing, chisel-shaped leaves. The upper side of the leaf is shiny green while the bottom part is silvery gray, due to the dense covering of tiny hairs on the leaf.

 

The olive tree blooms at the end of spring and at the beginning of summer. Pollination is carried out by wind and insects. Blossoms are white and are arranged in bunch-like groups. Only a few actually bear fruit. Green leaves are used for animal fodder while dried leaves are sometimes used for heating. The drupe is bitter in taste, the pulp contains oil. The color of the skin changes as the fruit ripens, from green to purple and from purple to red-black. The fruit ripens during the months September-October. Once the bitter taste has been eliminated, the fruit is edible and can be used in oil production. Main pests are the tiger moth, which burrows into the tree and the olive fly which spoils the fruit. The tree starts to bear fruit from its sixth year on, but reaches full bearing capacity after many years.