Russian Olive
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Introduced into North America in the late 19th century, its common name stems from its resemblance to the olive tree. It is a highly invasive species owing to its hardiness, rapid maturation, and high seedling survivability.
Elaeagnus angustifolia, commonly called Russian olive,[1] silver berry, oleaster, or wild olive[2], is a species of Elaeagnus, native to western and central Asia, Iran, from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Turkey, parts of Pakistan and parts of India.[3] As of 2020, it is widely established in North America as an introduced species.[4] [5]
Elaeagnus angustifolia is a usually thorny shrub or small tree growing to 16 – 23 feet in height. Its stems, buds, and leaves have a dense covering of silvery to rusty scales. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, 11⁄2 – 31⁄2 inches long and 3⁄8 – 1 inch broad, with a smooth margin. The plants begin to flower and fruit from 3-years old. The highly aromatic flowers, produced in clusters of one to three, are ½ inch long with a four-lobed creamy yellow calyx; they appear in early summer and are followed by clusters of fruit, a small cherry-like drupe 3⁄8 – 5⁄8 inch long, orange-red covered in silvery scales. The fruits are about ½ inch wide[6] and sweet, though with a dryish, mealy texture.[7] [8] [9]
The species is established and reproduced primarily by seed, with some vegetative propagation also occurring.[10] The branches have thorns that can be 2–7 cm (3⁄4–2+3⁄4 in) long.
The species was described as Zizyphus cappadocica by John Gerard and was grown by John Parkinson by 1633.[11] Its common name comes from its similarity in appearance to the olive (Olea europaea), in a different botanical family, the Oleaceae.
The shrub can fix nitrogen in its roots,[12] enabling it to grow on bare mineral substrates. The fruit is readily eaten, and the seeds disseminated by many species of birds.
The species was introduced into North America by the late 19th century, and was both planted and spread through the consumption of its fruits (which seldom ripen in England),[13] by birds, which disperse the seeds.10 Russian olive is considered to be an invasive species in many places in the United States because it thrives on poor soil, has high seedling survival rates, matures in a few years, and out-competes the native vegetation. It often invades riparian habitats where the canopy of cottonwood trees has died. Its quick-spreading root system can make it pest-like.
Dried oleaster fruit (senjed) among other fruits as part of haft mēwa, an Afghan dish
It is widely grown across southern and central Europe as a drought and cold-resistant ornamental plant for its scented flowers, edible fruit.6 attractive yellow foliage and black bark.10 In Iran, the dried powder of the fruit is used mixed with milk for rheumatoid arthritis and joint pains. There is evidence supporting beneficial effects of aqueous extract of Persian olive in reducing the symptoms of osteoarthritis with an efficacy comparable to that of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.[14]
[1]"Russian Olive Species Profile". USDA. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
[2] Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-505470-7.
[3] "Travel Tales – of Wild fruits and Pink Lotuses | Spinning a Yarn of L…". Archived from the original on 2021-06-05.
[4] Sullivan, Steven. K. (2020). "Elaeagnus angustifolia". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
[5] USDA, NRCS. (2020). "Elaeagnus angustifolia". The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
[6] Arno, Stephen F.; Hammerly, Ramona P. (2020) [1977]. Northwest Trees: Identifying & Understanding the Region's Native Trees (field guide ed.). Seattle: Mountaineers Books. pp. 287–288. ISBN 978-1-68051-329-5. OCLC 1141235469.
[7] Klinkenberg, Brian, ed. (2020). "Elaeagnus angustifolia". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
[8] Giblin, David, ed. (2020). "Elaeagnus angustifolia". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
[9] "Elaeagnus angustifolia". in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley. 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
[10] Little, Elbert L. (1994) [1980]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Chanticleer Press ed.). Knopf. p. 566. ISBN 0-394-50761-4.
[11] Alice M. Coats, Garden Shrubs and Their Histories (1964) 1992, s.v. "Eleagnus".
[12] "Forest Service Fire Ecology". Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
[13] Parkinson noted that it rarely perfected its fruit (noted by Coats 1992).
[14] Panahi, Y.; Alishiri, G. H.; Bayat, N.; Hosseini, S. M.; Sahebkar, A. (2016). "Efficacy of Elaeagnus Angustifolia extract in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial". Excli Journal. 15: 203–210. PMC 4908661. PMID 27330526.