The Grossane is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

of olives grown primarily in the Vallée des Baux and

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

regions of southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Though it can be used to produce

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

, it is primarily used as a black table olive. Vulnerable to certain biological pests, it is highly resistant to cold and drought.

Extent

The Grossane is particularly common in the Vallée des Baux and

regions of southern

. It can also be found as far away as China.

Synonyms

This cultivar is not known under any synonyms, though the spelling differs somewhat locally (Groussan, Grossanne).

Characteristics

It is a cultivar of middle strength, with a spreading

growth form Plant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs (forbs and graminoids), etc. The sc ...

and leaves of lanceolate shape and medium length and width. The olives are of high weight, ovoid shape and slightly asymmetrical. The stone has a rounded apex and a pointed base, with a rough surface and a

mucro A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

. The Grossane an intermediate cultivar in terms of flowering and ripening. When fully mature, the colour of the fruit is black.

Processing

Though a dual use cultivar, the Grossane is primarily used as a table olive. The black olives have a sweet taste, and the fruit is freestonethe stone does not cling to the flesh. It can also be used for the extraction of

, but it gives a poor yield, and the oil has a short shelf-life. The oil is said to have a "delicate flavor with a citrus aroma and slight fruitiness", while others compare it to

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es.

Agronomy

Its productivity is only intermediate, but this can be improved by the use of

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

and

fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...

. The Grossane has poor rooting ability, and is often

grafted Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

. It is self-sterile, and needs other pollinators. Cultivars used for pollination are the Boutellian and Aglandau. It has low resistance to certain biological pests, such as the olive fruit fly, ''

Bactrocera oleae The olive fruit fly (''Bactrocera oleae'') is a species of fruit fly which belongs to the subfamily Dacinae. It is a phytophagous species whose larvae feed on the fruit of olive trees, hence the common name. It is considered a serious pest in t ...

'' and

sooty mould Sooty mold (also spelled sooty mould) is a collective term for different Ascomycete fungi, which includes many genera, commonly ''Cladosporium'' and ''Alternaria''. It grows on plants and their fruit, but also environmental objects, like fences, ...

s. On the other hand, it has high tolerance to cold and drought.

References

{{Olives Olive cultivars