SOURY
Country: Lebanon
Purpose: Dual-purpose (table and oil)
Synonyms: “Grande Ayrouni”, “Hai Youdi”, “Hedai”, “Hidri”, “Rasisi”, “Sferhi”, “Shouri”, “Souri Folino”, “Souri Lod”, “Surry”, “Sury”, “Bayadi”, “Beladi”.
Distribution: 1 continent
Asia
The Levant: a regional cultivar between coast and uplands
In Asia, Souri is associated with the Levant (with references to Lebanon and the Tyre/Sur area) and is described as widespread across the region, with documented presence also in nearby contexts such as Israel and Jordan. In this sense, it belongs to a Levantine agricultural horizon rather than an intercontinental footprint.
Traditional groves and regional germplasm collections
Souri is reported in long-established, often rain-fed landscapes; it also appears in regional germplasm/collection settings used for compatibility and flowering management trials. This dual layer (territory + collection) frames it as a “regional” cultivar that is also observed in technical and experimental work.
A presence aligned with dry summers and marked seasonality
Across Levantine environments, olive growing commonly combines dry summers with pronounced seasonal variability. The territorial reading of Souri therefore remains tied to Asian Mediterranean landscapes, where continuity is built through environmental and cultural affinities rather than through indiscriminate expansion.
Agronomic and commercial considerations: The name Soury derives from the word Sour, which is a city located on the southern coast of Lebanon, one of the port cities where the Phoenicians began their trades. It is the most important variety in Lebanon. It has an upright habit and is partially self-compatible. Productivity is medium and alternate. It is a dual-purpose variety with high oil content. It is resistant to cold and drought, as well as to saline soils. It is susceptible to the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae) and also the to olive leaf spot (Cycloconium oleaginum), olive knot (Pseudomonas savastanoi) and verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae).