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Woody > Elaeagnus > Elaeagnus angustifolia > Elaeagnus angustifolia

Elaeagnus angustifolia


Russian Olive




Origin:  Southern Europe to Western to Central Asia and Himalayas.
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Genus
Elaeagnus
Species
angustifolia
Category
Woody
Type
Shrub (deciduous)
Pronunciation
USDA Hardiness Zone
3 - 7
RHS Hardiness Zone
H7
Temperature (°C)
-20
Temperature (°F)
-4
Height
3 - 6 m
Spread
3 - 6 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
MayJune
Landscape
Hedges and border planting.
Cultivation
Full sun and partial-shade. Moist and well-drained soils. Prefers light, sandy loam soils. Drought and deer tolerant.
Shape
Rounded and broad spreading.
Growth
Medium
ID Characteristic
Silver foliage, fragrant flowers and small olive-like silver fruit.
Pests
Leaf spot, cankers, rust, Verticillium wilt and crown gall.
Habitat
Marshlands, rivers and wetlands.
Bark/Stem Description
Consistently ridged and polated.
Flower/Leaf Bud Description
Small, solitary, sessile and round with exposed scales.
Leaf Description
Alternate, simple, oblong-lanceolate and 2.5 - 7.5 cm long
Flower Description
Perfect, apetalous, calyx tube campanulate with 4 spreading lobes, 0.5 cm long and fragrant.
Fruit Description
Drupe-like and 1 cm long. The flesh is sweet. Blooms August to September.
Colour Description
The bark is dark greyish-black. The buds are greyish-brown with silvery scales. The flowers have a silvery outer surface with a yellow inner surface.
Texture Description
The leaves have a fine texture. The bark has a fine to medium texture.
Notable Specimens
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Masonville, London, Ontario, Canada.
Propagation
Seed and cuttings.
Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)
The orient make a sherbet from it the fruit.
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