One of my reasons for choosing this tree for this spot was my desire to have a tree that mimicked a true Olive. this one does with its dull, olive green leaves. The silver in its common name comes from the bright white undersides of the leaves. Olives aren’t very freeze tolerant. The seeds of this Oak were collected originally from the Madrean Sky Islands, those scattered mountains in southern Arizona growing at high elevation. Hardiness often varies with your source’s provenance, more northerly and higher elevation populations, tend to produce trees with better cold tolerance than those from lower elevations and more southern latitudes.