Mediterranean
Flowers in late spring.
Habit:Tree 10m tall with a dense rounded crown, grey-green evergreenfoilage, trunks usually low branching.
Leaves: pointed, narrow, arranged in opposite pairs, with short
stalks. Smooth on top. leathery. Usually dark green above, light coloured t silvery
underneath, edges slighly rolled under.
Flowers: small, cream, with 4 petals but only 2 yellow anthers. Clustered
in spikes along branches.
Fruits: olive berries, oval, fleshy with large stone, green at first then
purple-black.
Roots: woody extensive strong taproot in seedlings, young plants form
lignotuber (a swollen stem near ground level). Will sucker strongly from cut roots and
stumps.
Spread: Planted for its fruit, olive has spread by seed into bushland in many areas. Its worst impact is in grassy woodlands, less comon in shrubby forests. Birds and foxes eat oliive berries and spread seed. First infestations are often under large gum trees where birds roost, Olive seedling and other weeds are the most likely plants to thrive under a dense olive tree canopy.
Removal: Begin in least weedy area and get rid of small and scattered plants first. Pull seedlings or grub in winter. Remove lignotuber. Cut stems of trees close to ground, frill bark, especially around root-stem junction, and swab immediately with Tricolpyr 600g / l diluted 1:60 with diesel. Follow up by pulling seedlings and treating regrowth.