Grossane
Encyclopedia
The Grossane is a cultivar
of olive
s grown primarily in the Vallée des Baux and Bouches-du-Rhône
regions of southern France
. Though it can be used to produce oil
, it is primarily used as a black table olive. Vulnerable to certain biological pests, it is highly resistant to cold and drought.
regions of southern France
. It can also be found as far away as China
.
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.
The Grossane an intermediate cultivar in terms of flowering and ripening. When fully mature, the colour of the fruit is black.
, 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
es.
and fertilization
. The Grossane has poor rooting ability, and is often grafted
. It is self-sterile, and needs other pollinator
s. 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 and sooty moulds. On the other hand, it has high tolerance to cold and drought.
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s grown primarily in the Vallée des Baux and Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
regions of southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Though it can be used to produce oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, 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 Bouches-du-RhôneBouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
regions of southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It can also be found as far away as China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
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 formPlant life-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 , etc...
and leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
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.
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 are 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 oilOlive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
, 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
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es.
Agronomy
Its productivity is only intermediate, but this can be improved by the use of irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
and fertilization
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
. The Grossane has poor rooting ability, and is often grafted
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
. It is self-sterile, and needs other pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s. Cultivars used for pollination are the Boutellian and Aglandau
Aglandau
The Aglandau is one of the more important of approximately a hundred cultivars of olives in France. It is grown primarily in Provence, but also as far away as Azerbaijan and Ukraine. The Aglandau is primarily used for production of oil, but can also be eaten. When used as table olives, the fruit is...
.
It has low resistance to certain biological pests, such as the olive fruit fly
Olive fruit fly
The olive fruit fly is a species of fruit fly which belongs to the Dacinae subfamily MUNRO, 1984. It is a kind of phytophagous species, whose larvae feed on the fruit of olive trees, hence the common name...
, Bactrocera oleae and sooty moulds. On the other hand, it has high tolerance to cold and drought.