Black Olive Tree
Question from Violet:
I need your help to find black olive tree Bucida buceras in california. Do you know where can i buy this tree. I have been searching and all the nursery’s are in florida. I appreciate your help.
Answer from Pat:
Black olive (Bucida buceras) is an attractive, evergreen ornamental tree native to Florida and the west Indies and widely supposed to be only suited to tropical climates. It withstands coastal winds without damage and therefore might be a worthy subject for ocean-front use in Southern California. It is well known and often grown in south Florida where it eventually becomes a large tree to 40 feet in height. It is seldom ever seen growing here in California and though I have looked for it for sale I have not been able to find it listed for sale except in Florida. There is a small group of black olive trees growing in front of a commercial building on Camino del Mar in Del Mar, California. These are the only specimens I have ever seen growing here and I have been unable to discover their history or how they arrived here. They were planted approximately 30 years ago and are still only about 15 or 20 feet tall. I am also unable to understand why this tree is not better known in California, but possibly it is because of the difficulty of propagation and the time it takes to grow this tree. Black olive is propagated from seeds. Possibly the specimens in Del Mar may be male trees since I have never seen seedlings or perhaps the temperatures here are not correct for germination. Your best bet would be to find a friend in Florida to send you seeds but it would take a long time for a sizable tree to grow from a seed. If I were you I would inquire at tree farms regarding this tree.
Hello Pat
Thank you for your informative and quick reply. I have see this tree planted in container in Topanga westfield Mall in California. It is beautiful it was shaped to look like large bonsai tree. I have been looking for it for 2 years now.
When I first saw a few Bucida buceras specimens growing in Southern California a number of years ago I greatly admired the species for the same reason you did. Here in California I admire this tree since it seems to remain small here and has a beautiful shape, with small leaves and branches arranged almost like a pagoda and apparently this is its natural habit of growth. It took me several years before i was able to identify these trees, never having seen anything just like them before. The fact you have seen one growing in a container would indicate they are occasionally available. Perhaps a good idea would be to ask a botanic garden if they have any? According to a paper I have read on the subject Bucida buceras has many faults as an ornamental tree when grown in Florida, but it seems to be it’s better behaved in California. I have also read that it is grown as an indoor plant in England.
I am having a problem with my Florida Black Olive Tree it is in an entry area low light and it seems to drop a great deal of leaves when it get hot and dry. Can you offer advice.
Cale