Olive Tree (Olea europaea) / Oliveira (Olea europaea)

A shrub or small evergreen tree with lanceolate-linear leaves (var. madeirensis) or oblong, obovate, oval, or rounded (var. buxifolia), which appears on the coast of Madeira, Porto Santo, and Ilhéu Chão. It produces yellowish wood with dark veins and small fruits that are not used because they are not very fleshy. It is also known by the name zambujeiro. Some olive trees that we saw years ago in Porto Santo, whose fruits were used, although less tasty than those from the mainland, probably came from cuttings imported from Portugal and not from specimens originating from the island (1921).