Common Name: White Olive

General Information

White Olive is a moderately fast-growing, virtually evergreen tree with a large crown; it can grow up to 40 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for 15 - 18 metres, up to 100cm in diameter, with buttresses that are often quite high[, ].
The wood is often harvested from the wild, mainly for local use.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; north through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

Wet forest or open savannahs at elevations up to 300 metres in Guatemala[]. It can grow in swamps as well as on the lower parts of slopes[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	30.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of mainly lower elevations in the tropics, usually found from near sea level to below 1,000 metres but occasionally found as high as 2,000 metres near the Equator.
Succeeds in a wide range of soils in the wild, including poor sands and clays, but avoiding drier sites[]

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The bark on the lower part of the trunk curls up in thin sheets that can easily be pulled loose; it often falls off and litters the ground[].

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins[].

The heartwood is yellowish, light yellowish-brown or brownish-olive, often with irregular red-brown streaks; it merges gradually into the 3 - 8cm wiide band of yellowish sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain is straight; lustre is high to very high; there is no distinctive taste or aroma. The wood is heavy to very heavy; hard to very hard; strong; elastic; moderately durable, being resistant to dry wood borers, moderately resistant to fungi and termites, but susceptible to marine borers. It seasons slowly with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. It has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; finishing is good, with the wood taking good polish; nailing and screwing are good if the holes are pre-bored; gluing is poor. Pieces that are straight grained can be planed, moulded, bored, mortised and sawn cleanly. A good quality wood, it is used for high quality furniture, cabinet making, arched goods, turnery, industrial flooring, ship building, joinery, tool handles, moulding, veneer etc[, ]. The wood is also used for general construction and railroad ties, though it is not highly esteemed for the latter purpose[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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