Try observing
Hillside crops · olive botany
One leaf, two sides
The municipality’s landscape description includes olive trees on the hillsides of Cabeceiras. The cultivated olive has leaves that are grey-green above and silvery-grey beneath, where hairs grow. Its small flowers have four white petals joined at the base. The fruit is the olive, an oil-rich drupe. The University of Évora’s description follows the change from green to reddish and dark shades during ripening, but also mentions forms that remain green when ripe. Colour alone does not tell the fruit’s whole story. The connection from tree to olive oil continues in the story of the Ramil oil mill. The profile distinguishes the cultivated olive from its wild form, known in Portuguese as zambujeiro. The latter is described as having smaller leaves and fruits and thorny lower branches. This comparison shows why a single feature, such as the silvery underside of a leaf, does not explain every difference. The olive is evergreen: it retains foliage throughout the year. You can therefore return to the same tree in different seasons and compare leaves, flowers and fruits, without expecting to find them all at once.

About this photograph
Date given at source: . Source consulted in 2026-11-07. EXIF orientation, proportional resizing and WebP conversion; no retouching or clipping of the file.
Vamos experimentar?
- Observes the photograph: draw the contour and the central nerve of the sheet.
- The image does not show the two sides of the same sheet. Separate what you see from what the text explains on the lower face.
- If you observe an olive tree throughout the year, record separately leaves, flowers and fruits, without taking off material.
An activity to try at your own pace, without collecting specimens.
Open a história e os seus recursos →Sources of this proposal
- University of Évora — Virtual Museum of Biodiversity, Olea europaeaConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07
- Municipality — landscape and vegetationConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07
My findings
An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.