Olive Tree Types

Arbequina

• Hailing from Spain, Arbequina olives make up the bulk of olive trees growing in California. The tree self-fertilizes, although it benefits from higher fruit yields when pollinated by another olive tree. Arbequina grows in warm, hardy zones where it produces fruit earlier than most other olive trees. The small fruit-flavored olives work well as oil. The cold-hardy tree stays fairly disease-resistant and pest-free. The tree grows up to medium size wit a spreading, weeping canopy.

Mission

• In the late 1700's, Mission olive trees were planted in Baja and Alta California when the Spaniards built their missions in those areas. Fruit from the heavy-bearing tree primarily gets used for table olives and oil. The hardy, large-sized tree stays tolerant of cold and drought, but, the tree requires a prevention program to manage disease and pests, including peacock spot, verticillium wilt and olive fly. When Mission olives are first harvested, the medium-size, deep-purple fruit tastes bitter. As the fruits mature into jet-black orbs, the taste changes to that of a more tropical-tasting fruit. Mission olive trees are self-fertile, but will produce more fruit when they are cross-pollinated with another olive tree.

Koroneki

• The Korneiki olive originated on the island of Crete about 3,000 years ago. The olive remains popular in Greece where it boasts an intense, robust flavor used for oil. The olives start with a fruity aroma and end with a peppery taste. The tree remains frost-sensitive, making it less than ideal in places that experience cold in the winter. The Korneki olive is self-fertile.

Manzanillo

• One of the most popular table olives found in California, the large fruits from the Manzanillo tree make good oil if the fruit is harvested when still green. As the olive ripens, it's flavor becomes less bitter and more fruity-tasting. The olive's high water content makes it better for curing than extracting to make oil. The medium-sized tree is partially self-fertile with higher fruit yields produced when cross-pollinated. Manzanillo trees require applications of copper during cold months to prevent disease and pests, although the tree remains hardy with moderate cold.