Olive
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called Common Olive, cultivated olive, edible olive, European olive, lady's oil, olive oil plant, olive tree and sweet oil plant.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H4 — -10 to -5°C -10 to -5 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- A thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
The olive browns at the very tips first, and the brown line creeps back along the edges over weeks. The tissue is dry and brittle, not soft.
Penn State Extension notes that most indoor plants benefit from more humidity than a home heated in winter provides. The leaf edge, furthest from the veins, is where the shortfall shows. That applies while it is grown indoors; its RHS rating of H4 describes a plant that also grows outside, where the air is seldom that dry.
Telling it apart: Whether the soil is dry too. Crisp edges with damp soil point at the air; with dry soil, at the watering.
Penn State ExtensionOlive leggy, leaning growth: causes- Brown, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass
Scorched leaves on the olive turn from pale to brown and brittle, and the damage stops where the shade of another leaf fell across it.
Even a plant described as full sun can take more through glass than it would outdoors, because glass removes the breeze that carried the heat away.
Telling it apart: Whether the patches grow. Scorch is done once it happens; a leaf spot keeps spreading.
RHSOlive brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Leaves bruised and browned along the edges after a gale
After a windy spell the olive shows dry brown edges and torn leaves on its exposed side. New growth that follows is undamaged if the weather settles.
RHS describes it as needing shelter. Moving air dries leaf surfaces quickly and bruises soft tissue, so a canopy in a windy spot is marked on the side the wind reaches.
Telling it apart: Timing. Damage that appeared after one windy day is weather; damage that builds slowly is water or roots.
RHSOlive brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Leaves hang and feel thin between the fingers
The olive hangs evenly all over, and the compost has gone pale and hard. Nothing is spotted or rotten; the plant is simply short of water.
With well-drained soil taken past dry, there is nothing left for the roots to move, and the plant gives up its shape before it gives up its colour.
Telling it apart: Water it and look the same evening. A thirsty plant firms up fast; one that does not has a root problem instead.
RHSOlive leggy, leaning growth: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Olive.
Routine care
- Propagation
- Seed or semi-ripe cuttings are used for propagation.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed in spring and keep it at 55-59°F (13-15°C). Semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer also root.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1. To limit size under glass, prune in spring.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Scale insect can be troublesome. Disease risks: it is a high-risk host of Xylella fastidiosa; olive scab and, rarely, honey fungus.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Olea europaea is the tree species that includes the cultivated olive, and five other subspecies. Some of the subspecies are polyploid.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Africa, Medit. to SC. ChinaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Mediterranean, Africa, and South Central ChinaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026MediterraneanRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- subtropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- shrub or treeWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Perennial, Tree; habit erect, roundedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 240–360 in; width 180–300 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 4-8 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 20–50 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers white; blooms in summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
The common olive was among the earliest cultivated trees, going back to 2500 B.C. Its branch is recognized worldwide as a sign of peace. It provides medicine, fuel and food.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Olive
More of the Oleaceae family
Plants with similar care
AvocadoDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
Chinese banyanFaded, yellow-white areas on the sunny side of the canopy
Coffee plantLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Crape myrtleCrisp margins that appear in winter
Japanese mapleDry, curled edges on leaves near a heater
Norfolk Island pineBleached patches on the side facing the glass
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.