Olea europaea (olive)

Olea europaea

Photo courtesy Joseph DiTomaso

Olea europaea (olive) is a shrub or tree (family Oleaceae) that can produce hundreds of seeds that are spread by birds and mammals. Though commonly grown as a crop in California, gardeners should use caution planting olives near open space. It has invaded areas in southern California and the Central Valley.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: Limited

Cal-IPC Resources on Olea europaea

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Olea europaea.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Olea europaea.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• Connick, S. and M. Gerel (2005). Don't sell a pest: A new partnership to prevent plant invasions through horticulture. Cal-IPC News. 13: 4-5,14.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Power, P., J. R. Roberts, et al. (2010). Controlling the Invasive Offspring of Historic Olive Trees on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park Cal-IPC 2010 Symposium. Ventura, CA, California Invasive Plant Council
• Chaney, S. (2005). Balancing act: Managing non-native plants of historic landscapes within the natural landscapes of Channel Islands National Park. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• Roberts, J. R., S. Chaney, et al. (2005). Management of domestic olives on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park: Preventing development of an olive-dominated chaparral. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• Connick, S. and M. Gerel (2004). Partnering to prevent invasions of plants of horticultural origin. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2004. Ventura, CA.
• Bell, C. E. and C. Bell (2003). Killing olive (Olea europea) root sprouts with Imazapyr and Glyphosate. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2003. Kings Beach, CA.
• Hunter, J. C., J. C. Sterling, et al. (2003). The abundance and distribution of non-native woody species in Sacramento Valley riparian zones. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2003. Kings Beach, CA.
• Kelly, M. (1998). SWAT: Special weed action teams as abassadors for education and energy. California Exotic Pest Plant Council '98 Symposium. Ontario, CA.

Other Resources on Olea europaea

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• The Nature Conservancy Management Summary - Information compiled by TNC land managers. Photos included for some species.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Natural Resource Projects Inventory - State database with information on resource management projects throughout California. Query by the species of interest.

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