The
olive or , known by the botanical name
Olea europaea, meaning "european olive", (syn.
Olea sylvestris) is a
species of small
tree in the
family Oleaceae, found in much of
Africa, the
Mediterranean Basin from
Portugal to the
Levant, the
Arabian Peninsula, and southern
Asia as far east as
China, as well as the
Canary Islands,
Mauritius and
Réunion. The species is cultivated in many places and considered naturalized in
Spain,
Algeria,
France (including
Corsica),
Greece,
Turkey,
Cyprus,
Malta,
Croatia,
Slovenia,
Albania,
Crimea,
Egypt,
Israel,
Iran,
Iraq,
Italy,
Argentina,
Jordan,
Morocco,
Palestine,
Syria,
Saudi Arabia,
Tunisia,
Lebanon,
Java,
Norfolk Island,
California and
Bermuda.