Thursday 25 October 2012

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 20

The olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin (the adjoining coastal areas of southeastern Europe, western Asia and northern Africa) as well as northern Iraq, and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.

Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil. The tree and its fruit give its name to the plant family, which also includes species such as lilacs, jasmine, Forsythia and the true ash trees (Fraxinus).

The word olive derives from Latin olīva which is cognate with the Greek ἐλαία (elaía) ultimately from Mycenaean Greek 𐀁𐀨𐀷 (e-ra-wa - "elaiva"), attested in Linear B syllabic script. The word 'oil' in multiple languages ultimately derives from the name of this tree and its fruit.

The climate of the Southern parts of Australia are conducive to the culture of the olive and numerous olive groves are now to be found in Victoria and South Australia. In Melbourne olive trees are common in gardens, but also planted in nature strips along streets. At the moment, all of the olive trees are in bloom in Melbourne, although one has to look carefully to see the tiny clusters of creamy white flowers.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.




And here are the fruits usually seen around April/May in Melbourne.


12 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting these as i have not seen a fruiting olive tree.

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  2. Our wild olive-pickling experiment wasnt a COMPLETE failure - while the flesh:seed ratio wasn't high, the taste was sensational!!

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  3. Great captures and information about the olives, Nick!! Thanks for sharing the beauty and information!! Hope your week is going well!

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  4. They are quite pretty, aren't they! I don't remember seeing the tree flowering before, but I have seen plenty of olives! Beautiful images.

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  5. I've never seen flowers on an olive tree before! Nice post, Nick.

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  6. Thank you so much for your visit to my blog today and commenting on my pictures. I have really enjoyed this post because I have not only seen some beautiful pictures, but I have learned so much about olive trees. I had no idea they grew anywhere but the Mediterranean...and I didn't know they were related to the jasmine, forsythia, and lilac. I have learned so much about so many different topics since I started my blog. I am wondering if people walking down the streets pick the olives and eat them. The blooms are really pretty. Your last shot is my favorite. genie

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  7. As if you were here ;) they do look ripe over here. Please have a good Friday ahead.

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  8. So nice! Great FFF post!
    Have a great day too!

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  9. My first time, looking at the olive flowers! They are very pretty. And those olives hanging on the tree and the pictures, all awesome. Thanks.

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  10. I did not know about the olive's relatives!

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  11. Lovely and interesting photos. Have a nice weekend.

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