Variety profile

Arauco

Country of origin Argentina

Use Dual-purpose

Distribution Americas

Arauco is an Argentine variety, probably obtained through the selection of olive seedlings introduced into Argentina from Spain. It is associated with warm, arid environments and is valued for the productive quality of its fruit, especially its size, colour and high flesh-to-stone ratio.

Varietal identity

Arauco is a cultivar with a strong American identity, especially linked to the olive-growing history of Argentina. Its profile combines adaptation to warm and arid environments, suitability for both table and oil production, and a fruit appreciated for its size, colour and firm texture.

Distribution across continents

Americas. Arauco is deeply linked to the American continent and, in particular, to Argentina. Its territorial identity reflects a history of olive adaptation to warm, arid landscapes and to production contexts in which local selection has shaped a cultivar recognised for its character and fruit quality.

Agronomic and commercial considerations

This variety was probably obtained through the selection of olive seedlings introduced into Argentina from Spain. It adapts well to warm and arid environments and has spread because of its excellent productive quality, especially the size and colour of the fruit and its high flesh-to-stone ratio.

It is partially self-fertile. Flowering occurs in the middle period, and the start of bearing is also medium. Its pollen has a high germination capacity. Productivity is high, although the variety may show alternate bearing.

The fruit has high resistance to detachment and, thanks to the good firmness of the flesh, can be used in different preparation methods. The flesh also separates easily from the stone. Arauco is a vigorous variety, but it is sensitive to low temperatures and to several diseases, including Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae), olive knot disease (Pseudomonas savastanoi) and olive anthracnose (Gloeosporium olivarum). However, it tolerates arid, saline and calcareous soils.

Value for The Garden of Peace

Within The Garden of Peace project, Arauco represents the olive tree’s ability to travel, take root and acquire its own identity in distant lands. Its presence in the collection reminds us that olive biodiversity does not belong to a single landscape, but is also shaped through migrations, adaptations and new bonds among peoples and territories.

The Garden of Peace

Arauco in the Gardens of Peace

The olive tree as a migrant root and a seed of peace between distant lands.

Why this variety belongs in the project

Arauco belongs in The Garden of Peace because it represents one of the most distinctive identities of olive growing in the Americas. It is a variety linked to Argentina, to the adaptation of the olive tree to warm and arid environments, and to the ability of a Mediterranean plant to take root in new territories until it becomes part of their agricultural culture.

What it tells within the Gardens network

Within the international network of the Gardens of Peace, Arauco tells a story of travel, selection and adaptation. Its presence alongside Mediterranean, European, African and Eastern varieties reminds us that olive biodiversity is not a fixed reality, but a living web of movements, encounters and new agricultural roots.

The message of peace it conveys

Through Arauco, the Garden of Peace conveys a message of openness and continuity. A variety born from adaptation in distant lands shows that roots do not separate: they can travel, transform and create new bonds. In this sense, Arauco becomes a symbol of encounter between continents, agricultural memory and a shared future.

Gardens of Peace around the world

Each card tells of a Garden where the olive tree becomes a language of peace.