Environmental Weeds in Sydney North

• Noxious Weeds
• Other Significant Environmental Weeds
• Weed Alerts

Weed control

• Hand removal techniques
• Biocontrol

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African Olive

Botanical Name: Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Noxious Weed Category:
CLASS 4 in Ryde Council


Source: Adam Burrowes

Photo: Adam Burrowes

 

Description:
Originating from South Africa, African Olive is a small evergreen tree 2 - 15m high. Often grown as a garden ornamental and as a hedge, it is now a major environmental weed particularly on clay soils and is well established in Western Sydney.

Drooping branchlets and narrow, dark green lance-shaped leaves, 5-10cm long and 2cm wide with a recurved (hooked) tip. Younger leaves have tiny brown scales on the underside.

White to cream tubular flowers, flowering in spring at the junction of the leaves and the stem.

Green berries in winter ripening to purple-black. Produces thousands of seeds.

Dispersal:
Foxes and birds eat the small black "olives".

Impact on Bushland:
Invades dunes, headlands and bushland.

Control:

Manual: Small seedlings should be removed by hand.
  Mature trees may be cut and painted, or stem scraped and painted using an undiluted glyphosate-based product.
  Will resprout if lopped. Berries should be bagged
Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.

Similar Species:

Suggested Alternatives:

References:
Attack of the Killer Weeds Coastcare, Weeds in the Mulgoa Valley, Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group