Ancient gnarled Olive tree stood above the River Guadalfeo in Orgive Alpujarra Granada Sierra Navada Monuntains Southern Spain

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Ancient gnarled Olive tree in the groves of Orgiva bordering the River Guadalfeo in the Alpujarra near Granada Southern Spain in the Southern slopes of the Sierra Navada Mountains. Olive trees achieve their extraordinary and evocative shapes from years and centuries of pruning and pollarding which adds to accentuate the sinuous and muscle like growth seen on the trunks of these wonderful fruiting specimens. Olives have been a delicacy of Spain since pre-history and trees date to over 1000 years old. These groves are famed for having some of the beautiful and ancient of Spain's Olives. Here stood with bamboo that spread up from the river bed below. Olea europaea. Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil. The tree and its fruit give its name to the plant family, which also includes species such as lilacs, jasmine, Forsythia and the true ash trees (Fraxinus). The word derives from Latin olīva which is cognate with the Greek ἐλαία (elaía) and also Mycenaean Greek ("elaiwa"), attested in Linear B syllabic script.]The word "oil" in multiple languages ultimately derives from the name of this tree and its fruit.

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Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: Orgiva Alpujarra Nr Granada Southern Spain Southern slopes of the Sierra Navada Mountains
Photo credit: © Roland Pargeter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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