Olea europaea Frantoio - Olive Tree

The 'Frantoio Olive Tree' is a great Italian classic. This variety originating from Tuscany has many qualities and is currently grown in many olive-growing regions. The tree has vigorous growth and quickly bears fruit, even at a young age. It is self-fertile and has almost no alternate bearing. Its productivity will be further improved by cross-pollination. Its ovoid olives are harvested quite late in the season when they begin to turn purplish. They produce a renowned virgin oil known for its fine flavour and good storage.

Do not buy an old subject that has been uprooted without care from its native soil: it will take 5 or 10 years to recover, or perish! Instead, plant a young olive tree that is "happy in its pot", water it regularly for the first two or three summers, and you will be amazed at how quickly it develops!

The presence of the Olea europea, simply called Olive, all around the Mediterranean, dates back to ancient times. Both an ornamental tree and a food tree, it is inseparable from the Mediterranean landscape, just like the fig tree, the holm oak, the Provence cypress 'Pyramidalis', the pomegranate, and the grapevine. This emblematic tree has given its name to the botanical family Oleaceae.

Olea europeae 'Frantoio' is also known by the names 'Bresa', 'Cailletier', 'Correggiolo', 'Crognolo', 'Infrantoio', 'Laurin', 'Pignatello', 'Radius', 'Raggiolo', 'Rajo', 'Solciaro', and Stringona. Due to its taste qualities, this variety is cultivated in many countries including Pakistan.

The 'Frantoio Olive Tree' has a distinctive silhouette due to its long, flexible branches that slightly droop, especially when laden with fruit. It eventually forms a spreading tree with a wide crown reaching about 4m in height and 3m in width, or even more. Its growth is fast for an olive tree. The tree develops a sturdy and knotty trunk as it ages. Its evergreen foliage is composed of more or less narrow, opposite, entire, elliptical leaves that are leathery and covered with scale-like hairs, measuring 3 to 7 cm in length. They cover branches dotted with peltate scales. Their colour is a mix of green and grey, with the undersides of the leaves being more silvery. The very brief, nectar-rich flowering takes place for one week between May and June, depending on the climate. The white or yellowish flowers are grouped in axillary panicles. The fruits, the olives, are oval, green, fleshy drupes with hard stones, partially turning purple when ripe. They have an extremely bitter taste and are not edible as they are: they must undergo processing or a very long ripening off the tree before being consumed as table olives. The oil extracted from their pulp, however, is immediately consumable. With excellent characteristics, it has complex aromas including tomato leaf, artichoke, almond, herbs, rocket, and dried fruits. In the mouth, it is a fine and creamy oil with bitter and spicy notes. This fruiting occurs on trees aged five to six years. The bark of this olive tree is grey and smooth when young and cracks with age, while the tree produces shoots at the base of the trunk.

The 'Frantoio Olive Tree' is very resistant to summer drought and appreciates well-drained, even rocky soils. However, it cannot tolerate temperatures below -9/-10°C (adult). Cultivation in open ground is reserved for the olive zone, as it is aptly named. However, enthusiasts of this small tree can adopt it in a large container anywhere else, protecting it from severe cold in winter. The 'Frantoio Olive Tree' is self-fertile. The presence of a nearby compatible tree is not obligatory for the pollination of its flowers, but it will be particularly productive in the presence of a 'Pendolino' or 'Leccino' olive tree. It should be noted that it is an excellent pollinator for other olive varieties.

A very old tree: the Olive Tree, named "The King of Kings" in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, in the Alpes-Maritimes, has a trunk with a circumference of 20m, which encompasses the surrounding rocks; it is estimated to be 1000 to 2000 years old.