The Olive Tree, Part II

The Olive Branch

Since ancient times, the olive branch has been the symbol of peace and goodwill.  

Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful holiday season.

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The Olive Tree, Part I

Olive Grove, Island of Capri, Italy, Oil on Canvas, 1890 (Public Domain - Wikimedia Commons)

Theodore Robinson (July 3, 1852 – April 2, 1896), 
Original painting currently exhibited at Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, ME

The word Geography immediately conjures up images of mountains, valleys, glaciers, deserts, rivers, oceans and plains. But an all-encompassing definition of the word includes so much more. There is the study of physical geography, which includes the already mentioned awe-inspiring aspects of this planet. I will definitely be contributing my totally amateur understanding of these subjects in future posts, as I never cease to be amazed by the beauty and complexity of this wonderful planet and how it works. But in this particular post I will be concentrating on a topic more in tune with cultural geography.  

In researching my posts on Mount Vesuvius, I happened upon the beautiful oil on canvas landscape by Theodore Robinson shown above, of an olive grove on the Island of Capri, Italy. I found the painting to be intriguing, and as is often the case, I suddenly was extremely aware of everything regarding that particular topic. I happen to like olives, so I decided that it was time to know more about them. The history of how humans originally discovered the usefulness of this amazing fruit, how they're grown and the process that goes into creating such a tasty and healthy food source became my next project.

So let's start with the tree itself. Incredible as it sounds, there are olive trees that are thousands of years old and still bearing fruit.

Have you ever come upon a tree that you just know has witnessed a whole lot of history? An old, majestic tree makes you know, just by looking at it, that if it could tell you what it has seen, it would be an amazing story indeed.  

Granted, other types of trees obtain equally monumental ages. There are quite a few ancient trees within the United States, Methuselah being one of them.  Methuselah is a great basin bristlecone pine and is located somewhere in the White Mountains of California. Imagine being older than the Pyramids of Giza. Methuselah is! 

General Sherman, a sequoia, located in Sequoia National Park in California is believed to be approximately 2,500 years of age, while The President, another sequoia at Sequoia National Park checks in at 3,200 years.

Unfortunately, some of our country's ancient trees have met their demise through irresponsible behavior. The Senator, a pond cypress of over 2,000 years and a national treasure was destroyed by fire in 2012 by a woman on meth. Prometheus, another great basin bristlecone pine, in Wheeler Park, Nevada, was even older than Methuselah, when cut down in 1964 by a dendrochronologist (a scientist of the study of climate change and past events through tree rings) who was studying the effects of the little ice age. These senseless actions are why Methuselah's actual location is kept a secret. 

The olive was first domesticated in the eastern mediterranean between 6,000 to 8,000 years ago from wild olive trees in the frontier land of Turkey and Syria. The olive tree is an evergreen tree. Its botanical name of Olea Europaea. Although short in height, usually measuring around 20 feet, the girth of the tree continues to grow as it matures, giving it a quirky, almost mystical look. The leaves are shaped like a lance and are pale green on the top and light silver beneath. The blossoms produced by an olive tree are small in size, numerous  and white in color.

The trunk of the olive tree is a mystery in itself. The gnarly, twisted image of a mature olive tree is unique to say the least. Knots, twists and awkward re-directions of branches makes a definite statement of approval of its own identity. If a trunk is cut down, the shoots from its roots continue to grow, thus insuring its existence. As the tree matures, the trunk becomes hollow. Yet, after thousands of years the ancient trees still bear fruit and are highly prized for their crop.

An olive tree is extremely hardy. It can easily live in rocky soil and does well in neutral soil but not acidic soil. It likes a climate that is hot and dry during the summer and cool during the winter. A winter is required in order to produce the proper cycle for growing shoots, flowers and ultimately the fruit that is the olive. It needs a sunny climate, but not tropical. It likes coastal areas and is most definitely not a desert tree. It needs water but does not like standing water. It requires a well drained soil. The mediterranean climate is perfect for its needs, although olive trees are now very successfully grown in such climates as California, Texas, Florida, Australia, Peru, Chile and also Japan. The Spanish brought olive trees to California and Mexico.                                               

Several centuries old olive tree at the Esporão estate in Reguengos de Monsaraz - Alentejo - Portugal

Check out my next post which will continue the story of the Olive Tree!

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