COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

The Olive tree is one of the oldest cultigen in the world. As the cultivation had already started in prehistoric times, it is not possible any more to
reconstruct the borders of its natural growing range. In principle, the Mediterranean area can be seen as area of origin.

RANGE

In the entire Mediterranean area. In general, Olive trees do not grow straight and are knotty. They can reach a height of up to 20m in the south, whereas
they stay smaller in the northern parts. As the main use of the Olive tree is the oil extraction, whereas the appreciation of the wood itself is totally
insignificant. Consequently, usable lengths or more than 1m are very rare.

USES

Usually, the very decorative Olive wood is used for arts and crafts. In Spain and Italy, local importance for the veneer industry in lengths up to 1m, i.e.
mainly used for inlays and occasional furniture there. Veneers lengths exceeding 220cm are extremely rare and consequently expensive. These are only
used for decorative interior work.

CHARACTERISTICS

The wood is of a yellowish basic shade and is extremely decorative due to fine dark veins spreading irregularly over the surface, thus creating a beautiful
effect when larger surfaces are concerned. Frequent checking, however, extremely complicates the manufacturing of this wood.