Olivière
Encyclopedia
The Olivière is a cultivar
of olive
s grown primarily in the Pyrénées-Orientales
region of southern France
, where it is the most prevalent variety of olives. It is highly valued for its exceptionally high tolerance to cold. The Olivière is primarily used for oil, and even though the fruit yields a low percentage, the trees carry large quantities of olives, and the oil is of high quality.
, but also in Aude
and Hérault
. It can also be found in Italy
, Algeria
, and as far away as China
.
and elliptic leaves
. The olives are of high weight, of a bulging, pointed shape, and asymmetrical. The stone has a pointed apex and a rounded base, with a rough surface and a mucro. It is an early cultivar, and matures in the month of October. When fully mature, the colour of the fruit is brown.
, though it can also be eaten. It gives a relatively poor yield of oil (13–15 %), but it compensates for this with an extremely good yield of fruit. Trees start bearing fruit after only two or three years, and an adult tree can carry as much as 100 kg (220 lb) of fruit a year. The aroma of the oil is described as "fruit, almond and fresh apricots with a background hint of spicy green mint".
s. Among the olive cultivars used for pollination are the Cayon
, Picholine
, Verdale and Arbequina
.
A major drawback with this cultivar is its vulnerability to certain biological pests, such as the Bactrocera oleae, Pseudomonas syringae
, Saissetia oleae, and Sooty moulds. On the other hand, it has an exceptional resistance to cold; after the devastatingly hard winter of 1956, when most French olive orchards were destroyed, many Olivière trees survived. That means that some of the trees of this variety are over 400 years old.
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s grown primarily in the Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
region of southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where it is the most prevalent variety of olives. It is highly valued for its exceptionally high tolerance to cold. The Olivière is primarily used for oil, and even though the fruit yields a low percentage, the trees carry large quantities of olives, and the oil is of high quality.
Extent
The Olivière is particularly common in the Pyrénées-OrientalesPyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
, but also in Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
and Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
. It can also be found in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, and as far away as China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Synonyms
The Olivière is known under a number of different names locally. The local varieties in southern France include Bécaru, Galinenque, Laurine, Michelenque, Ouana, Palma, Pointue and Pounchude. In Italy it is referred to as Olivio Galliningo or Olivio Laureolo.Characteristics
It is a cultivar of very good strength, and can grow to great heights. It has a drooping growth formPlant life-form
Plant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs , etc...
and elliptic leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
. The olives are of high weight, of a bulging, pointed shape, and asymmetrical. The stone has a pointed apex and a rounded base, with a rough surface and a mucro. It is an early cultivar, and matures in the month of October. When fully mature, the colour of the fruit is brown.
Processing
The Olivière is used almost entirely for the extraction of oilOlive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, though it can also be eaten. It gives a relatively poor yield of oil (13–15 %), but it compensates for this with an extremely good yield of fruit. Trees start bearing fruit after only two or three years, and an adult tree can carry as much as 100 kg (220 lb) of fruit a year. The aroma of the oil is described as "fruit, almond and fresh apricots with a background hint of spicy green mint".
Agronomy
The cultivar's vigour and productivity contribute to its popularity. It is a self-sterile cultivar, so it needs the presence of pollinatorPollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s. Among the olive cultivars used for pollination are the Cayon
Cayon (olive)
The Cayon is a cultivar of olives grown primarily in the Var region of southern France. It is used primarily for the production of olive oil. The Cayon is highly valued for its role as a pollinator of other olive varieties.-Extent and synonyms:...
, Picholine
Picholine
The Picholine is a French cultivar of olives. It is the most widely available cultivar in France. Though originally from Gard in southern France, it is today grown all over the world. The Picholine is best known as a cocktail olive, though it is also used to make olive oil.-Extent:The Picholine...
, Verdale and Arbequina
Arbequina
Arbequina is a cultivar of olives. The fruit is highly aromatic, small, symmetrical and dark brown, with a rounded apex and a broad peduncular cavity. In Europe, it is mostly grown in Catalonia, Spain, where it occupies 55,000 hectares, but it is also grown in in Aragon and Andalusia, as well as...
.
A major drawback with this cultivar is its vulnerability to certain biological pests, such as the Bactrocera oleae, Pseudomonas syringae
Pseudomonas syringae
Pseudomonas syringae is a rod shaped, Gram-negative bacterium with polar flagella. It is a plant pathogen which can infect a wide range of plant species, and exists as over 50 different pathovars, all of which are available to legitimate researches via international culture collections such as the...
, Saissetia oleae, and Sooty moulds. On the other hand, it has an exceptional resistance to cold; after the devastatingly hard winter of 1956, when most French olive orchards were destroyed, many Olivière trees survived. That means that some of the trees of this variety are over 400 years old.