Greece - Apidea, olive tree

This over-aged olive tree has known Byzantine despots, Frankish and Venetian rulers, Ottoman conquerors and lived through the Greek Revolution. It survived wars, fires and looting and is now a remarkable "monumental olive tree". Although the passage of time has chiselled its wooden body, giving it reliefs, it has remained intact and has continued to bear its precious fruits.

This particular olive tree belongs to the variety of Myrtolias, which is mainly cultivated in Greece. It is located at an altitude of 260 meters. This variety is mainly used for the production of very high quality olive oil and is resistant to cold and dryness. The trunk base circumference is more than 14 meters and the tree is 8 meters high.

Comparing the data of some other olive trees in Greece, the Apidea olive tree is probably in its second millennium or has already passed it. A sign next to the tree tells it is more than 2.000 years old.