**2.3.** *Olea maroccana*

The *Olea europaea* subsp. *maroccana* is located in the South - west of Morocco, in the western part of the High Atlas. Its area of distribution is mainly on the southern slope of the Ida – ou - Tanane massif and in the western Anti Atlas (Maire, 1933; Jahandiez & Maire, 1934). The existence and the taxonomic position of this tree have long remained uncertain, but the combination of several morphological traits is unique.

The *Olea europaea* subsp. *maroccana* tree is arborescent or shrubby in appearance, and evergreen. The trunk is 4 - 5 m high and generally pluricaulous. Branches and ramifications are erect, internodes of terminal ramifications are elongate, reaching 20 - 60 mm. The bark is smooth, grey-brown. Leaves are lanceolate or lanceolate-acute aspect; they are 3 - 4 to 7 - 8 cm long and 0.4 – 0.6 to 1.2 - 1.3 cm wide. They are slightly contracted into an acuminate reddish-brown apex and progressively contracted into a medium petiole 0.2 - 0.7 cm long. Lateral veins are not visible or scarcely visible, the median vein is partly canaliculate on the lower side. Leaf-blades have a revolute margin; glossy dark-green and very sparsely scattered with tectorous and star-like hairs above; whitish and densely covered by flattened tectorous hairs beneath.

Flowers are rather large, 4 – 6 mm in diameter, white - yellowish; inferior flowers are pedunculate and 2 - 4 mm long with 2 bracteoles ovoid - elongate of 1 - 2 mm, inserted either on the pedicel or beneath the calyx. The calyx is urceolate, erect, cylindrical - oval, 1 mm long. Fruit are borne in panicles or axillary and terminal racemes, elongate and flexuous; lateral ramets are 50 - 70 mm long, ramified; secondary ramets are 10 - 30 mm long; terminal ramets are reflected, and 60 - 120 mm long. Inflorescence bracts are lanceolate - obtuse, 3 - 4 mm long. The fruit is a globose - ovoid drupe; it is 5 - 7 mm in diameter and 9 -

11 mm long, obtuse at the apex, green then red - brown when unripe, becoming purplish black. Drupe pulp is carmine and aqueous, sweet or slightly bitter taste (Medail *et al.*, 2001).

Botanical Description 29

The *Olea europaea* subsp. *guanchica* is a small tree evergreen that can reach 6 m in height or more often it has a shrub appearance. Generally, the trunk is pluricaulous, grey or whitish. Leaves are bright green, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 2 - 3 to 7 - 8 cm long and 0.4 – 0.6 to 1.1 - 2.1 cm wide. The apex is mucronate to cuspidate and the colour is greyish-brown above and paler beneath. Leaves have a petiole 0.2 - 0.5 cm long. The main vein partly

Flowers are 4 - 5 mm in diameter, white; bracteoles not well individualized or missing. Fruit are borne in panicles. The fruit is an ovoid - globose drupe; it is 9 - 12 mm in diameter and 12 - 22 mm in length; their colour is green then purplish - black; pulp with a bitter taste

*Olea europaea subsp. europaea* var*. sylvestris* is a typical tree of the Mediterranean regions and it contributed to the Mediterranean forest. In fact, it is considered by many authors as a forest tree. With the olive being the most longeve plant crop species, numerous ultramillennial still living *sylvestris* trees are present over all the European Mediterranean

However, forest fires and extensive urbanization that characterize the Mediterranean coast

have endangered the *sylvestris* variety determining a decline of this genetic resource.

**Figure 3.** Morphological aspect of *Olea europaea* subsp. *guanchica* leaves and trunk

*2.5.1. Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris (wild olive)* 

countries (Baldoni *et al.*, 2006).

protrudes on the abassial surface.

(Medail *et al.*, 2001).

**Figure 2.** Morphological aspect of *Olea europaea* subsp. *maroccana* fruits
