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Green Olive Tree (Phyllirea latifolia)
Photo: (c) Daniel Cahen, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Green Olive Tree

Phyllirea latifolia (accepted: Phillyrea latifolia) · Oleaceae · also called Phillyrea latifolia · Wikipedia

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Is this one for your yard?

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No.

Green olive tree is highly flammable and does not belong near structures.

INRA’s Avignon laboratory tested Phyllirea latifolia with an epiradiator and placed it in the avoid range based on its July-to-September maximum. Its monthly inflammability notes rose from 0 in May to 2 in June, 4 in July and 5 in August, before returning to 4 in September. Five is the highest note on INRA’s 0-to-5 scale, which runs from slightly inflammable to extremely inflammable.

Two other institutions reach the same practical conclusion using broader approaches. The Diputació de Girona and Catalonia’s fire service rate the shrub “very inadvisable” for gardens under a method that assumes care suited to each species. That judgment weighs maintenance and fuel structure alongside fire research, origin, invasiveness and fire-service experience. Greece’s 2023 fire-protection regulation names Phillyrea latifolia in the environment ministry’s table of particularly flammable endemic trees and shrubs. Laboratory testing, expert garden guidance and regulation therefore all point toward avoidance.

A separate epiradiator test of live, unpredried leaves recorded flaming at 405.08°C in November. That is the observed temperature at flaming under those test conditions, not a universal safety threshold or planting recommendation. The FLAMITS database preserves such measurements without imposing one threshold across different variables, devices and plant materials. It adds detail about ignition behavior while leaving the three institutional warnings intact.

Fire-resistant shrubs instead

Form
shrub
Region
Croatia; France; Greece; Mediterranean France; Spain; Turkey
Rated in
Catalonia, Spain; Global; Greece; Mediterranean France / Provence
On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence
Highly flammable — location does not change the cited classification.
Placement evidence
2 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions
Catalonia, Spain; Global; Greece; Mediterranean France / Provence

2. Why this plant is relevant here

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Avoids (3)

Corroboration (1 rows from 1 source)
Listed without a rating (62)
Corroboration (62 rows from 1 source)

  • FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

    62 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.

    • Primary study Alessio2008b: Alessio, G. A., Peñuelas, J., Llusià, J., Ogaya, R., Estiarte, M., & De Lillis, M. (2008). Influence of water and terpenes on flammability in some dominant Mediterranean species. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 17, 274.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Alessio2008a-1.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling november.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 405.08”

          FLAMITS record 87.

        • “time to flaming (s): 415.28”

          FLAMITS record 97.

        • “temperature at smouldering (°C): 374.08”

          FLAMITS record 122.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling january.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 422.11”

          FLAMITS record 88.

        • “time to flaming (s): 416.35”

          FLAMITS record 98.

        • “temperature at smouldering (°C): 419.47”

          FLAMITS record 123.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling may.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 367.64”

          FLAMITS record 89.

        • “time to flaming (s): 306.5”

          FLAMITS record 99.

        • “temperature at smouldering (°C): 361.37”

          FLAMITS record 124.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling june.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 429.18”

          FLAMITS record 90.

        • “time to flaming (s): 281.54”

          FLAMITS record 100.

        • “temperature at smouldering (°C): 434.62”

          FLAMITS record 125.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; sampling july.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 418.48”

          FLAMITS record 91.

        • “time to flaming (s): 294.58”

          FLAMITS record 101.

        • “temperature at smouldering (°C): 409.4”

          FLAMITS record 126.

      • “smouldering duration (s): 341.05”

        FLAMITS record 142; Sustainability measurement; sampling november.

      • “smouldering duration (s): 334.39”

        FLAMITS record 143; Sustainability measurement; sampling january.

      • “smouldering duration (s): 264.86”

        FLAMITS record 144; Sustainability measurement; sampling may.

      • “smouldering duration (s): 250.59”

        FLAMITS record 145; Sustainability measurement; sampling june.

      • “smouldering duration (s): 253.47”

        FLAMITS record 146; Sustainability measurement; sampling july.

    • “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4870.07”

      FLAMITS record 3946; Combustibility measurement; plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Gillon1997-1; sampling june to september. Primary study Gillon1997: Gillon, D., Hernando, C., Valette, J.-C., & Joffre, R. (1997). Fast estimation of the calorific values of forest fuels by near infrared-reflectance spectroscopy. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 27, 760-765.

    • Primary study Liodakis2006b: Liodakis, S., & Kakardakis, T. (2006b). Measuring the Particle Flammability of Forest Species from Wildland/Urban Inter-face (WUI) near Athens by Thermal Analysis. First International Symposium on Environment Identities and Mediterranean Area. Corte-Ajaccio, France

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; site Liodakis2006b-1; sampling ND.

      • “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4098”

        FLAMITS record 6746; Combustibility measurement; device calorimeter.

      • “time to flaming (s): 1596”

        FLAMITS record 6752; Ignitability measurement; device thermal analyzer.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 301.4”

        FLAMITS record 6759; Combustibility measurement; device thermal analyzer.

      • “burning duration (s): 366”

        FLAMITS record 6766; Sustainability measurement; device thermal analyzer.

    • Primary study Liodakis2011: Liodakis, S., Agiovlasitis, I.P., Kakardakis, T., Tzamtzis, N., Vorisis, D., & Lois, E. (2011). Determining hazard risk indices for Mediterranean forest species based on particle flammability properties. Fire Safety Journal, 46, 116-124.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; site Liodakis2011-1.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.

        • “time to flaming (s): 6.33”

          FLAMITS record 6888.

        • “time to flaming (s): 5.21”

          FLAMITS record 6925.

        • “time to flaming (s): 5.83”

          FLAMITS record 6961.

      • Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.

        • “flame intensity (kW/m): 69.78”

          FLAMITS record 6894.

        • “flame height (cm): 8.92”

          FLAMITS record 6918.

        • “flame height (cm): 7.9”

          FLAMITS record 6943.

        • “flame intensity (kW/m): 321.11”

          FLAMITS record 6949.

        • “flame height (cm): 8.4”

          FLAMITS record 6979.

        • “flame intensity (kW/m): 470.35”

          FLAMITS record 6985.

      • Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.

        • “flaming duration (s): 163.2”

          FLAMITS record 6900.

        • “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.08”

          FLAMITS record 6912.

        • “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.13”

          FLAMITS record 6931.

        • “flaming duration (s): 186.6”

          FLAMITS record 6937.

        • “rate of burning spread (cm/s): 0.22”

          FLAMITS record 6967.

        • “flaming duration (s): 147.82”

          FLAMITS record 6973.

      • Shared measurement context: Consumability measurement; device burning bench; sampling all seasons.

        • “burnt biomass (%): 78.39”

          FLAMITS record 6906.

        • “burnt biomass (%): 92.89”

          FLAMITS record 6955.

        • “burnt biomass (%): 89.89”

          FLAMITS record 6991.

      • “flammability value: 2”

        FLAMITS record 6997; Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling spring.

      • “flammability value: 3”

        FLAMITS record 7004; Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling summer.

      • “flammability value: 1”

        FLAMITS record 7011; Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling autumn.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement; device calorimeter; sampling all seasons.

        • “flammability value: 2”

          FLAMITS record 7018.

        • “flammability value: 3”

          FLAMITS record 7025.

        • “flammability value: 3”

          FLAMITS record 7032.

    • Primary study Michelaki2020: Michelaki, C., Fyllas, N. M., Galanidis, A., Aloupi, M., Evangelou, E., Arianoutsou, M., & Dimitrakopoulos, P. G. (2020). Adaptive flammability syndromes in thermo-Mediterranean vegetation, captured by alternative resource-use strategies. Science of The Total Environment, 718, 137437.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel dead; predrying no; device muffle furnace; site Michelaki2020-3; sampling spring.

      • “time to flaming (s): 984”

        FLAMITS record 9194; Ignitability measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 387”

        FLAMITS record 9195; Sustainability measurement.

      • “mass loss rate (g/s): 0”

        FLAMITS record 9196; Combustibility measurement.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 93.1”

        FLAMITS record 9197; Consumability measurement.

    • Primary study Rosavec2013: Rosavec, R., Šikic, Z., Španjol, Ž., & Barcic, D. (2013). Utjecaj meteoroloških ?imbenika na zapaljivost nekih sredozemnih vrsta. Šumarski list, 137, 583-590.

      Shared row context: Sustainability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; sampling june.

      • “flaming duration (s): 13.34”

        FLAMITS record 11625; site Rosavec2013-1.

      • “flaming duration (s): 11.16”

        FLAMITS record 11626; site Rosavec2013-2.

    • Primary study Valette1990: Valette, J.-C. (1990). Flammabilities of Mediterranean forest species. Effects on the combustibility of the forest communities inflammabilités des espèces forestières méditerranéennes. Conséquences sur la combustibilité des formations forestières. Revue forestière française, 42, 76-92.

      Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Valette1990-1; sampling june to september.

      • “flammability value: 4”

        FLAMITS record 13327.

      • “flammability value: 5”

        FLAMITS record 13328.

    • Primary study Guney2022: Güney, C. O., Sar?, A., Cekim, H. O., Küçüksille, E. U., ?entürk, Ö., Gülsoy, S., & Özkan, K. (2022). An advanced approach for leaf flammability index estimation. International journal of wildland fire, 31, 277-290.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Guney2022-1; sampling may and september 2017.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 331.2”

          FLAMITS record 16685.

        • “time to flaming (s): 19.4”

          FLAMITS record 16686.

      • “flame height (cm): 59.9”

        FLAMITS record 16687; Combustibility measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 20.9”

        FLAMITS record 16688; Sustainability measurement.

      • “burnt biomass (%): 6.6”

        FLAMITS record 16689; Consumability measurement.

Fire-resistant shrubs instead

mastic tree
Pistacia lentiscus salvia cistus
Cistus salvaefolius slender myoporum
Myoporum parvifolium kinnikinnick
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Kurrajong
Brachychiton populneus Spiny Broom
Calycotoma spinosa

Fire-resistant shrubs listed above

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Wikipedia ·

Phyllirea latifolia (Phillyrea latifolia). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/phyllirea-latifolia/. Last verified 2026-08-23.