Black olives are simply olives that have been allowed to fully ripen on the tree before harvesting, whereas green olives are picked unripe.

Also known as the or " Shady Lady ," this tree is widely used for landscaping due to its beautiful, horizontal branching structure.

: Many commercially sold black olives (like the "California ripe" style) are actually green olives that have been artificially darkened through oxidation with air and fixed with ferrous gluconate (iron).