European Olive (Olea europaea ssp. africana) Bonsai Tree Seeds - Indigenous

The olive is native to the Mediterranean region, tropical and central Asia and various parts of Africa.

The olive has a history almost as long as that of Western civilization, it's development being one of civilized man's first accomplishments.

At a site in Spain, carbon-dating has shown olive seed found there to be eight thousand years old.

O. europaea may have been cultivated independently in two places, Crete and Syria. Archeological evidence suggest that olives were being grown in Crete as long ago as 2,500 B.C.

From Crete and Syria olives spread to Greece, Rome and other parts of the Mediterranean area.

The high position held by the Olive tree in ancient as in modern days may be realized when it is remembered that Moses exempted from military service men who would work at its cultivation, and that in Scriptural and classical writings the oil is mentioned as a symbol of goodness and purity, and the tree as representing peace and happiness.