Olea verrucosa (Willd.) Link in Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 33 (1821)
Olea verrucosa var. brachybotrysDC. in Prodr. 8: 285 (1844)
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata is a subspecies of the well-known olive tree (
Olea europaea), which until recently was considered a separate species (Olea africana) and is still mentioned as such in many sources. Native to northeast of Africa and the drier parts of subtropical Asia, it has various common names, including wild olive, African olive, brown olive and Indian olive.[3]
This much-branched evergreen tree varies in size from 2 to 15 metres (7 to 50 ft) high. The leaves have an opposite, decussate arrangement, and are entire, 3 to 7 centimetres (1.2 to 2.8 in) long and 8 to 25 millimetres (0.3 to 1 in) wide; the
cuneate
.
Leaf margins are entire and recurved, the upper surface is grey-green and glossy, and the lower surface has a dense covering of silvery, golden or brown scales.
venation is obvious on the upper surface and obscure on the lower surface; the petiole
is up to 10 millimetres (0.4 in) long.
In drier areas, the plant may be less than 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall within 5–10 years, though it may still reach sexual maturity at around five to six years when it is a shrub at 4 metres (13 ft)} high. In the right conditions, the plant can reach its full height of 10 to 13 metres (30 to 40 ft) between 8 and 12 years.[4]
Inflorescence and fruit
The flowers are small and inconspicuous, usually appearing in spring. The
corolla is greenish-white or cream; the tube is 1 to 2 millimetres (0.039 to 0.079 in) long; lobes are about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long and reflexed at the anthesis. The two stamens
are fused near the top of the corolla tube, with bilobed stigma.
Fruit are borne in
globose to ellipsoid fruit is a drupe, 6 millimetres (0.24 in) in diameter and 15 to 25 millimetres (0.59 to 0.98 in) long; it is fleshy, glaucous
In areas where it is not native, such as Australia, it is classified as an environmental
bushlands, parks, roadsides and waste areas on the coast and in highlands, where it would alter the original composition of the native vegetation. It was first introduced to Australia in the mid 19th century for ornamental reasons.[6]
Uses
The wood is much-prized and durable, with a strong smell similar to
termites
and wood borers. The spindle wood is very light, while the heartwood is dark yellow to reddish brown.
ornamental tree for parks and gardens. It is also used for the production of table olives and oil. The sap of the fruit of this tree can also be used to make ink
^Anwar, P.; Bendini, A.; Gulfraz, M.; Qureshi, R.; Valli, E.; Di Lecce, G.; Toschi, T.G. (2013). "Characterization of olive oils obtained from wild olive trees (Olea ferruginea Royle) in Pakistan". Food Research International. 54: 1965–1971.
^Sharma, R.K.; Sharma, N.; Samant, S.S.; Nandi, S.K.; Palni, L.M.S. (2013). "Antioxidant activities in methanolic extracts of Olea ferruginea royle fruits". International Journal of Bioscience, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics. 3 (2): 1–3.
^Hassan, H.U.; Raja, N.I.; Abasi, F.; Mehmood, A.; Qureshi, R.; Manzoor, Z.; Pro'cków, J. (2022). "Comparative study of antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of Olea ferruginea fruit extract and its mediated selenium nanoparticles". Molecules. 27: 5194.