Azorean picconia
Picconia azorica
Family · Oleaceae · Harmless
The wild olive of the Azores, today one of the most threatened trees in the archipelago. Opposite glossy leaves, white flowers in clusters, and a fruit that is a small purple olive.
Oak woods · Scrubland · Uplands
Also known asAzores olive
How to tell it
Leaves always in pairs, opposite each other, leathery and glossy, with a rolled edge. Small white flowers in short axillary clusters, four-petalled, like olive and phillyrea. Oval dark purple fruits. Very white wood, which gives the name. Range: endemic to the Azores.
What it is confused with
Green olive tree
Phillyrea latifolia
They are very alike and from the same family, but are not found in the same place: phillyrea is mainland, pau-branco exists only in the Azores. Neither is eaten.
What it is for
The hard white wood was much sought for furniture and instruments, and that demand is one reason the species nearly disappeared. The fruits are not eaten.
The law says
A species protected under the Habitats Directive and listed as threatened in the Azores. Do not cut or collect it.
Where it occurs
Each square is an area with recorded observations of this plant. The lighter background is the set of areas where any of the entries has been observed, and serves as a reference. Note what this is not: it is not where the plant lives, it is where people record it, so trails and towns always look fuller than the mountains. Data from GBIF.
Sources
Community
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