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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Olea europaea subsp. oleaster (Wild Olive) |
Olea europaea subsp. oleaster (OLEACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Olea europaea subsp. oleaster(Hoffmanns. & Link) Negodi
Published in Arch. Bot. Sist. 3: 79 1927 |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Oleaceae Juss. (The Olive Family)
5 species from the Oleaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Wild Olive |
Maltese name(s) : |
Żebbuġa selvaġġa, Żejtuna selvaġġa |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Nano-Phanerophyte ( small trees to large shrubs, usually shorter than 5 m ) |
Legal Protection : |
Protected by law: Schedule II of [S.L. 549.123] (Trees protected in selected areas) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
March – May |
Colour of Flowers: |
White |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Olea: ()
europaea subsp. oleaster: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Encouraged to be planted in the wild that is in rural areas including ODZ. |
Remarks : |
This subspecies exhibits a distinct shrubby growth form, typically not exceeding 120 cm in height, and is characterised by smaller, nearly orbicular leaves. Certain taxonomic classifications consider it to fall within the intraspecific variability of Olea europaea sensu stricto, thereby treating it as a taxonomic synonym. It has also been postulated as a potential precursor to the domesticated olive tree. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Smaller shrub-like tree seldom exceed 1.5m in length, armed with spiny branches and its leaves are much smaller and almost rounded. Fruit also smaller and hence not much useful for the yield of olive oil or table olives. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Garigue, somewhat preferring low and exposed garigue
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Distributional range |
Mediterranean region and Portugal. Reported in error as native from Crimea
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, the Balaeric Islands, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Russia and former USSR, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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AE(G) Ag Al Bl Cr Cy Gr Hs IJ It Ju Li Lu Ma Sa Si Tn Tu(A E) [Co Ga LS Uk(K)]
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| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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Veteran trees in an historic landscape: The Bidnija olive grove, Malta. |
Jonathan G. A. Lageard, Daniel Sultana & Francis Brearley (2021) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
