LOAIME
Country: Spain
Purpose: Dual-purpose (table and oil)
Synonyms: “Alohaime”, “Guitoso”, “Lucio Gordo”, “Negral”, “Plateado”
Distribution: 2 continents
Europe
Rooted in the Western Mediterranean (Andalusia)
In Europe, Loaime is documented as a cultivar closely tied to southern Spain, with an autochthonous presence especially in the Granada area (Andalusia). In these territories, olive growing shapes continuous landscapes across inland hills and valleys, where local varieties remain identifiable through long-standing community practices.
A “territorial” role within local value chains
Loaime also appears as part of territorial productions (alongside other local cultivars), confirming a use that prioritizes a specific area rather than broad diffusion. In this sense, the variety functions as one element within a local cultivar mosaic—supporting place-based identity without needing global reach.
For TGoP: staying put as heritage
Within the TGoP framework, Loaime in Europe tells the story of a variety that “becomes place”: not everywhere, but a stable marker within a territory. It helps highlight how European olive biodiversity also relies on less famous cultivars that nonetheless sustain agricultural continuity and landscape memory.
Oceania
Documented presence as an introduction (Australia)
In Oceania, Loaime is documented in Australia (Adelaide area) as a variety recorded within introduction contexts, also under synonyms. This points to a presence connected to selection and experimentation rather than to long-established historical rooting.
Embedded in newly built olive landscapes
In this continent, olive growing has largely developed through modern plantings and varietal adaptation programs. Where Loaime is present, it therefore sits within a pathway of territorial compatibility assessment—where the variety’s meaning emerges from interaction with new environments and targeted agronomic choices.
For TGoP: a traceable, non-expansive migration
For the Gardens of Peace, Loaime in Oceania is a case of limited and traceable migration: a variety appearing outside its European basin without becoming dominant. It is useful to distinguish global expansion from selective presences, where territory remains the primary criterion.
Agronomic and commercial considerations: It is a low vigorous variety, very productive and drought tolerant. Its entry into production is late, it has a good oil yield which is of good quality. The separation of the pulp from the seed is quite easy. Its main use is as table olives, being used with a very specific dressing. This consists of a passification of the olive fruits. To that end, once the olives are ripe, they are is dried in the shade, in a ventilated place and, mixed with salt, is stored. Such use is possible because the ripe fruit is sweet and doesn’t need traditional seasonings to be edible. Due to these characteristics, together with its early maturity, it is often attacked by birds, plus it seems to be sensitive to the olive leaf spot (Cycloconium oleaginum) and to cold.