Cailletier “Niçoise” Potted Olive Tree

Cailletier, or Niçoise, olive

Cailletier (Olea europaea 'Cailletier') is the French cultivar associated with Niçoise-style olives. Traditionally grown around Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes, it is used for both table curing and oil. The vigorous standard tree develops a graceful outline with branches that bend downward as they lengthen. This listing is for one live potted nursery tree.

• Alternate name: Niçoise
• Plant form: One potted standard olive; seasonal size varies
• Organic status: Not sold as certified organic
• USDA zones: 8–9
• Light: Full sun
• Primary uses: Table curing and oil
• Pollination: A compatible olive flowering at the same time may improve fruit set
• Harvest: Fruit can progress from dark red toward black in late fall or winter, depending on climate

Planting and shaping the tree

Choose an open, heat-rich site where excess water drains quickly. Dig a hole wider than the nursery container but no deeper than its root ball. Position the original soil surface level with the final grade, backfill, and irrigate the complete root zone. Keep moisture consistent during establishment while avoiding saturated soil against the trunk.

Train several well-spaced scaffold branches that accommodate Cailletier’s drooping growth. Thin rubbing, damaged, or inward wood and keep the canopy accessible for hand harvest. Container culture requires a stable vessel, unobstructed drainage, and periodic root and branch management. Mature size and bearing vary with winter weather, tree age, pruning, irrigation, pollen, and heat.

Harvest use

Harvest stage differs for curing and oil, and fruit may not reach the same color at every site. Olives are intensely bitter directly from the tree and require a tested curing method before eating. Oil production requires appropriate milling equipment and prompt processing. Read the olive growing guide, compare olive trees, or browse other potted fruit trees.