OLIVE TREES, PALM TREES
& Mediterranean Plants
Facts about the Olive Tree
• The Olive Tree is one of the oldest cultivated plants.• According to Greek myth, the olive tree was a gift from the goddess Athena to the city of Athens. This sacred olive tree lived in the Erechtheum, a temple on the Acropolis.
• Over the years, the Olive Tree has been the symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness.
• The Olive Tree and olives are mentioned over 30 times in the bible, in both the New and Old Testament. It is one of the first plants mentioned in the Bible, and one of the most significant.
• In Genesis, a dove released from the Ark by Noah, returned with an olive branch to show that the flood had receded.
• The olive leaf is believed to be a symbol of abundance, glory and peace and was used to crown the victors of friendly games and bloody wars.
• Olive oil has long been considered sacred. It was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient Greece and was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal flame" of the original Olympic Games. Victors in these games were also crowned with its leaves.
• "Spain is the world's largest cultivator of olives, producing 970,000 tons of olives annually. The principal olive producting regions in Spain are Catalonia and Andalusia. Spain and Italy together account for 54% of the total amount of olive oil produced worldwide." - Guinness World Records 2005
"We are just like the Olive tree that I see now from my window. No matter how in the cold and harsh winter they are not broken, no matter how in the hot summer they are not burned and dried, no matter where in the autumn wind they are not scattered, as days come and ages past they bloom again, fresh, young and so beautiful."
