Olives, grapevines, figs, apples, walnuts, cherries, rosemary and familiar culinary herbs all have evidence of use or presence in Roman-period settings, and many remain part of gardens and food systems today. That is continuity of plant species and human use—not proof that a modern named variety, or any living tree, is unchanged from Roman times.
What “around since ancient Rome” means
Roman-period plant remains can establish that a species was present at a particular place and time. Seeds, fruit stones, charcoal and pollen provide different kinds of evidence; written accounts and modern heritage gardens help explain how plants may have been used. None of these alone proves an unbroken line from a Roman plant to a modern one.
Rome’s history spans centuries and a vast territory. Evidence from one villa, city or garden cannot show that every Roman household grew a plant, or that it was cultivated throughout the empire. A 2023 study of the Imperial Horti Lamiani garden on Rome’s Esquiline Hill reconstructs cultivated trees, shrubs and potted flowers from plant remains and pollen, while noting that some finds could represent wild vegetation rather than deliberate planting. Its examined garden period dates to the 1st–3rd centuries CE. The study describes archaeobotanical research on ancient Rome as “scarce and patchy,” in part because preservation varies greatly between sites.
Roman-period plants still familiar today
Findings from Lio Piccolo, a Roman villa site in northern Italy, offer a useful set of examples. The University of Bologna project reports fruit trees, crops and useful plants from Roman-period evidence there. The examples below describe species-level presence and known or plausible uses, not a claim that modern cultivars are identical to ancient ones.
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| Plant | Roman-period evidence | Why it mattered | What continuity supports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive (Olea europaea) | Olive remains and pollen are reported at Lio Piccolo; the Colosseum Archaeological Park also identifies olives as symbolic plants at the Roman Forum. | Food and oil, as well as a prominent garden and landscape tree. | Olives remain familiar and cultivated today. The Forum’s present-day trees are maintained as trees of the same species, not documented descendants of specific ancient trees. University of Bologna; Parco archeologico del Colosseo |
| Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) | Identified in the Roman-period Lio Piccolo evidence. | Fruit and a cultivated landscape plant; the Bologna project describes vines as recurring in the later landscape as well. | The species remains a familiar crop. The evidence does not establish an unchanged Roman grape variety. University of Bologna |
| Fig (Ficus carica) | Identified among fruit trees at Lio Piccolo; a Pompeii garden account also describes figs and preservation of the fruit. | Food, including fruit that could be preserved. | Figs remain cultivated and eaten, but no specific modern lineage is demonstrated. University of Bologna; Discover Campania |
| Apple, walnut and cherry | All three appear in the Lio Piccolo Roman-period botanical evidence; apples are also named in the Pompeii garden account. | Fruit and, for hard-shelled nuts, durable food. | These remain familiar food plants. The cited findings establish presence at particular sites, not universal Roman cultivation. University of Bologna; Discover Campania |
| Rosemary | Reported in the Roman-period Lio Piccolo evidence. | Aromatic herb with culinary and garden uses. | Rosemary is still a familiar Mediterranean herb; the evidence does not identify a continuous cultivar line. University of Bologna |
| Basil, garlic, mint, oregano, parsley and thyme | Getty grows these in a modern garden of herbs associated with antiquity. The Pompeii account names basil, thyme and garlic among ancient garden plants. | Food, fragrance and medicinal or other household uses; a plant might have served more than one purpose. | Modern gardeners can grow these familiar herbs, but reconstructed gardens are demonstrations, not proof of uninterrupted cultivation. J. Paul Getty Museum; Discover Campania |
Plants that supported work as well as gardens
Roman plant life was not limited to fruit trees and herbs. Lio Piccolo’s evidence includes barley, wheat, rye and spelt, as well as hemp. These crops connect Roman-period landscapes to food production and practical work.
- Cereals: Barley, wheat, rye and spelt are reported in the Lio Piccolo evidence. Their presence reflects the range of crops associated with Roman-period agriculture at that site, not a claim that each was equally common everywhere.
- Hemp: The Bologna project associates hemp with textiles, ropes, fishing nets and agricultural activity. It is an example of a plant serving material needs beyond food or decoration.
- Jujube: The project notes centuries-old jujube trees on some local properties and recent restoration of traditional crops. This is a regional landscape detail; it does not establish that any particular surviving tree dates to the Roman period.
How strong is the evidence?
Archaeobotanical evidence is site-specific and unevenly preserved. Northern Italy and areas near Vesuvius have comparatively abundant Roman-period remains, while other assemblages can be sparse or poorly preserved. A seed or fruit stone can provide a different level of identification from pollen, and pollen may point to nearby vegetation without proving that people intentionally planted it.
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The Horti Lamiani study combines plant macrofossils and pollen to interpret an Imperial garden, but cautions that some plants may have grown wild. Archaeologists infer intentional planting from the evidence taken together. Modern recreated gardens at Pompeii and the Getty can make ancient plant use tangible, but they are interpretations informed by evidence—not surviving Roman gardens. Sapienza University repository record; Masi et al., 2023; J. Paul Getty Museum; Discover Campania
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What you can grow today
If you want a garden with plants associated with Roman-period life, start with familiar Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, basil, mint, oregano, parsley and thyme, or consider fruit trees such as fig and olive where climate and space allow. That gives you a modern garden inspired by ancient plant use—not a claim to possess a Roman plant unchanged across two millennia.
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