The Olive Genus: How Olives Are Classified, and What Is Not an Olive
The olive belongs to the genus Olea, and the one we eat is Olea europaea, a member of the olive family Oleaceae alongside ash, lilac, jasmine and privet. That family tree explains more than it looks. It is also the quickest way to settle the long list of fruits that carry “olive” in their name and are not olives at all.
The full classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Order | Lamiales |
| Family | Oleaceae, the olive family |
| Genus | Olea, roughly 30 to 40 species |
| Species | Olea europaea |
| Cultivated subspecies | Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. europaea |
| Wild form | var. sylvestris, the oleaster |
Genus, species, cultivar: three words people mix up
- Genus is Olea, the whole group of olive trees including species never grown for food.
- Species is Olea europaea. Every table olive and every drop of olive oil in the world comes from this one species.
- Cultivar is Picual, Kalamata, Arbequina, Frantoio and the thousand-odd others. These are not species or subspecies. They are cultivated varieties of the same plant, propagated by cutting rather than seed, which is why a named cultivar stays true.
This is the point that surprises people. Kalamata and Arbequina differ less, botanically, than two breeds of dog. All the variation in shape, oil content, ripening date and flavour sits inside one species.
The subspecies scattered around the Old World
Olea europaea has six recognised subspecies, mostly geographic isolates that never entered agriculture: cuspidata across Asia and eastern Africa, laperrinei in the Saharan massifs, maroccana in Morocco, cerasiformis in Madeira and guanchica in the Canary Islands. Only europaea was domesticated, somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean several thousand years ago.
Things called olives that are not olives
Most “olives” outside the genus are unrelated plants whose fruit merely looks similar. This matters for anyone reading about olive cultivation in places olives do not grow.
- Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is in the Elaeagnaceae, no relation.
- Chinese olive (Canarium album) is in the Burseraceae, the frankincense family.
- Ceylon olive (Elaeocarpus serratus) is not an olive either.
- African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) genuinely is one, and is an aggressive weed in parts of Australia.
- Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is another Elaeagnus.
Why the family matters
Oleaceae membership is not trivia. Ash and privet share the olive’s wind-pollinated flowering habit, which is why olive pollen is a significant seasonal allergen in Mediterranean cities, and why people sensitive to ash or privet pollen sometimes react to olive too. Lilac and jasmine, the ornamental members, share the family’s characteristic four-lobed flowers, which you can see on an olive tree in spring if you look closely at the small cream panicles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the genus of the olive?
Olea, which contains roughly 30 to 40 species. The cultivated olive is Olea europaea.
What is the Latin name for olive?
Olea europaea. “Olea” is simply the Latin for olive, and “europaea” reflects where it was first formally described rather than its full natural range.
What family do olives belong to?
Oleaceae, the olive family, which also includes ash, lilac, jasmine, forsythia and privet.
Are Kalamata and Arbequina different species?
No. Both are cultivars of the single species Olea europaea. The differences between named olive varieties are varietal, not specific.
Is a Russian olive a real olive?
No. Elaeagnus angustifolia belongs to a different family entirely and is unrelated to true olives despite the name.