African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata)

African olive is a long-lived small tree or shrub with a dense canopy. It invades bushland and shades out native plants.

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How does this weed affect you?

African olive:

• invades bushland
• produces dense shade and suppresses native understory plants
• permanently changes plant diversity in bushland
• may also harbour diseases and pests of commercial olives 
• fruit is not edible.

What does it look like?

African olive is a much-branched evergreen shrub or small tree with a dense canopy.

Leaves are:

• green or yellow-brown underneath
• 6-10 cm long and 10-25 mm wide
• glossy grey-green on top
• often with a hooked tip
• opposite on the stem.

Flowers are:

• yellow-white to creamy white with 4 petals
• 2-4 mm diameter
• on a short stem
• present in spring and summer.

Fruit are:

• 15-30 mm long and 6-20 mm wide
• round with a sharp tip at the base
• green with white spots when unripe
• purple-black when ripe
• with one hard seed in the middle.

Seeds are:

• hard
• brown
• 10 -15 mm long
• oblong.

Stems are:

• silvery-green
• mostly upright
• smooth or slightly ribbed when younger
• covered in rough, light or dark grey bark when older.

Similar looking species

African olive looks like several other olive trees.

• Common olive (Olea europa) has leaves that are silvery-grey underneath and with pointed tips
• Native mock olives (Notelaea venosa and Notelaea longifolia) have leaves which are much bigger and have a leathery texture. Notelaea longifolia has hairy leaves.
• Feral olive Olea europaea subsp. europaea is also a weed with similar impacts to African olive.

Where is it found?

African olive grows throughout NSW. The worst infestations are around southwest Sydney and the central Hunter Valley. It has naturalised along the whole of the western slopes from north to south.

In the 1800s it was introduced to Australia as a hedging plant and as root stock for edible olives. African olive first naturalised along coast between Milton and Lismore. It is a tropical wild olive that comes from eastern Africa.

What type of environment does it grow in?

African olive prefers warm temperate and semi-arid regions. It can grow in dense shade.

Maps and records

• Recorded presence of African olive during property inspections (Map: Biosecurity Information System - Weeds, 2017-2021)
  These records are made by authorised officers during property inspections under the Biosecurity Act 2015. Officers record the presence of priority weeds in their council area and provide this to the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Records reflect the presence of the weed on the date of inspection.
  
  

How does it spread?

By seed

Birds eat the fruit and spread the seed.

By plant parts

African olive produces suckers when trees are damaged.

More information

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Control

Successful weed control requires follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing regrowth or new seedlings. Using a combination of control methods is usually more successful.

Aim to control plants before they fruit.

Physical removal

Hand weeding

Pull out seedlings, removing all the roots.

Chemical control

Use the cut and paint method on established plants up to 10 cm diameter. Use stem injection for plants with a stem >10 cm diameter. African olive re-sprouts from the base if it is burnt or cut down. Re-spray new growth.

Herbicide options

See Using herbicides for more information.

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2025
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 1 part glyphosate to 50 parts water
Comments: Spray seedlings / coppice shoots.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: M, Inhibitors of EPSP synthase
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2025
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 1 part glyphosate per 1.5 parts of water
Comments: Cut stump, stem scrape or injection, saplings or large trees and shrubs.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: M, Inhibitors of EPSP synthase
Resistance risk: Moderate

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Picloram 44.7 g/kg + Aminopyralid 4.47 g/L (Vigilant II ®)
Rate: Undiluted
Comments: Cut stump/stem injection application. Apply a 3–5 mm layer of gel for stems less than 20 mm. Apply 5 mm layer on stems above 20 mm .
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: I, Disruptors of plant cell growth (synthetic auxins)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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Triclopyr 600 g/L (Garlon® 600)
Rate: 4.0 L per 60 L diesel
Comments: Basal bark application up to 5 cm basal diameter or cut stump application over 5 cm.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: I, Disruptors of plant cell growth (synthetic auxins)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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Biosecurity duty

The content provided here is for information purposes only and is taken from the Biosecurity Act 2015 and its subordinate legislation, and the Regional Strategic Weed Management Plans (published by each Local Land Services region in NSW). It describes the state and regional priorities for weeds in New South Wales, Australia.

Area	Duty
All of NSW	General Biosecurity Duty All plants are regulated with a general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose. Any person who deals with any plant, who knows (or ought to know) of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Central Tablelands Exclusion zone: whole region except the core infestation area of the Cowra Council area	Regional Recommended Measure* Whole region: The plant should not be bought, sold, grown, carried or released into the environment. Exclusion zone: The plant should be eradicated from the land and the land kept free of the plant. Land managers should mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. Core infestation area: Land managers should mitigate spread from their land. Land managers reduce impacts from the plant on priority assets.
Greater Sydney An exclusion zone is established for all lands in Blue Mountains City Council local government area and in Penrith local government area west of the Nepean River. The remainder of the region is classified as the core infestation area.	Regional Recommended Measure* Whole region: The plant or parts of the plant are not traded, carried, grown or released into the environment. Exclusion zone: The plant is eradicated from the land and the land kept free of the plant. Core infestation area: Land managers prevent spread from their land where feasible. Land managers reduce impacts from the plant on priority assets.
Hunter	Regional Recommended Measure* Land managers mitigate the risk of the plant being introduced to their land. Land managers reduce impacts from the plant on priority assets. Land managers prevent spread from their land where feasible. The plant or parts of the plant are not traded, carried, grown or released into the environment
North West	Regional Recommended Measure* Land managers should mitigate the risk of new weeds being introduced to their land. Land managers should mitigate spread from their land. The plant should not be bought, sold, grown, carried or released into the environment.
	*To see the Regional Strategic Weeds Management Plans containing demonstrated outcomes that fulfil the general biosecurity duty for this weed click here

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Reviewed 2019