Black Olive Tree

This Black Olive Tree is a handsome evergreen tree which makes an interesting and unusual houseplant, and also grows into a large tree outdoors in frost-free parts of the country. Note that this is not the tree that produces edible olives (which you can find here: Olive tree), but it does have attractive clusters of black fruits that look similar, which is why it is called this. A native tree of Florida, it grows rapidly to 30 or even 50 feet tall and equally wide, with a rounded, often flat-topped crown of leather, blue-green, glossy, oval leaves, up to 4 inches long, carried in whorls at the ends of the branches. Indoors it can be grown as a bush or a tree, and can be trimmed and pruned as needed to control its growth. It is ideal for growing indoors during winter and outdoors between the last and the first frost, making a great patio tree. It has clusters of small yellow flowers in spring and summer, and by fall these mature into ½ inch black berries. The trunk and branches do have long spines, so be careful where you place it, and in handling it, to avoid any injury. Outdoors it only grows with minimum temperatures above 32oF, but in hot zones it makes an attractive specimen tree, or it can be trimmed into a hedge.

• Handsome tree with glossy, evergreen foliage
• Sprays of small yellow flowers in spring and summer
• An attractive houseplant or outdoor tree in frost-free regions
• Grow indoors in winter, outdoors in summer
• Black fruits are not edible, and not true olives

The Black Olive Tree should receive full sun, or partial sun, so place it close to a sunny window. It will grow in average soil, preferably moist and well-drained, and it tolerates mildly alkaline soils and acidic soils too. Outdoors it tolerates urban soils and poor growing conditions, but not standing water. In a pot use regular houseplant soil. Growth and fruit production will be best if it spends time outdoors between spring and fall. Prune as needed to control the size and form to meet your needs. Generally free of any special pest or disease issues, and it’s not eaten by deer. Don’t plant beside a patio or driveway, as it releases a sap that can stain hard surfaces, as can the fruit as well. When grown as a houseplant fruit production may be limited or absent.