Paragon is the Australian name for Frantoio Olives.
Australia had large amounts of olive trees planted in the mid-1800s. Interest in olives and olive oil didn’t really catch on until well over 100 years later, so the plantings were largely ignored and the trees allowed to go feral.
In October 1998, samples of the olive tree that Australians called “Paragon” were sent to the “World Germplasm Bank of Olive Cultivars” in Spain for genetic testing; the DNA of “Paragon” olive tree leaves matched that of Frantoio leaves. Leaves from a broader sampling of trees were sent back to Italy for expanded genetic testing in January 1999, which confirmed that Paragon olive trees were indeed Frantoio trees.
The tree is native to Tuscany.