| Lucques | |
|---|---|
 Lucques olives ripening on the tree | |
| Olive (Olea europaea) | |
| Color of the ripe fruit | Green |
| Also called | Lucquoise, Olivier Odorant, Oliverolle |
| Origin | France |
| Notable regions | Languedoc |
| Hazards | Olive fruit fly,sooty mold,Verticillium dahliae etc. |
| Use | Oil and table |
| Oil content | Medium |
| Fertility | Self-sterile |
| Growth form | Spreading |
| Leaf | Elliptic-lanceolate |
| Weight | Medium |
| Shape | Elongated |
| Symmetry | Asymmetrical |
TheLucques is acultivar ofolives grown primarily inLanguedoc inFrance. It is primarily used as a green table olive.[1] It can also produce high qualityoil, but this is hard to extract. Though vulnerable to certainpests, it is relatively resistant to cold and drought.
The Lucques owes its French name to the tradition that it originated in the Italian province ofLucca (Lucques in French). Today it is primarily associated with southernFrance, particularly in theLanguedoc-Roussillon region and thedépartements ofAude andHérault, to which its cultivation is limited in Europe by aprotected designation of origin (PDO, or AOP in French) since 2017.[2][3] It can also be found inNorthern Africa,Turkey, theUnited States andAustralia.[4][5]
Locally, this cultivar is known under a number of different names, including Lucquoise or Luquoise, Oliva Lucchese, Oliverolle, Olivier de Lucques, Olivier Odorant and Plant du Languedoc.[4]
It is a cultivar of good strength, with a spreadinggrowth form in a shape described as "a vase or a parasol". Theleaves are elliptic-lanceolate, with a medium length and width.[6] The olives are of medium to high weight. They have an elongated, asymmetrical shape, with a pointed apex and a truncated base.[7] The stone is pointed at both ends, with few grooves and nomucro.[8]
Though the fruit comes into bearing early, its ripening is late.[6] Picking is at the end of October or beginning of November, while the skin is a light green. It matures in December, and when fully mature the colour of the fruit is dark purple.
The Lucques is primarily used as a green table olive, and the fruit tastes meaty and sweet.[1] Some compare it to freshalmonds andavocados.[4] It is a highly valued olive among gourmets. It can also be used foroil, and the oil it produces is of excellent quality, but it is difficult to extract.[6] It gives a medium oil yield. The smell of the oil has alternately been described as "almond", "green apple", and "tomato".[9] The taste is sweet; to some, excessively so.[3]
It is considered a productive cultivar, but depends on good quality soil and regular irrigation to give a high yield.[6] The cultivar is self-sterile, so it depends on otherpollinators.[9] It is vulnerable to certainpests, including theolive fruit fly,sooty mold andVerticillium dahliae.[10] On the other hand, it has a moderately good tolerance to cold and drought, although the tree suffered terribly in the cold winter of early 1956 when millions of trees were cut down all over theMidi.[2][6]
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