Scientific Name:
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Pronunciation:
ell-ee-AG-nus an-guss-tih-FOE-lee-uh
Common Name:
Russian olive
Family Name:
Elaeagnaceae
Plant Type:
Invasive plant, Shrub - deciduous, Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, lanceolate, most blades 4–9cm long x 1-2.5cm wide, margin entire, lower surface with dense covering of silvery to rusty scales; flowers in clusters of 1-3, each ~1cm long with a four-lobed creamy yellow calyx, early summer; fruit 1-1.7cm long, orange-red when ripe, covered in silvery scales. Winter ID: twigs pubescent, thorns 1.5-3cm long.
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
5 - 7m
Mature Spread:
5 - 7m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Hedge row, Screening, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Pubescent, Tomentose
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish, Dark green above, silvery underside
Shapes:
Lanceolate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Corolla Shape:
Cruciform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
White, Yellow
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Four petal-like sepals
Fruit Type:
Achene, Drupe, Edible
Fruit Colour:
Orange, Red
Fruiting Time:
Sep
Additional Info:
Accessory tissue, Edible, A drupe-like fruit that is really an achene with swollen accessory tissue derived from the sepals; covered in silvery scales - edible but dry and mealy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid, Rounded or globular
Leaf Scar Shape:
Half-round
Organ Modifications:
Root nodules (N-fixing), Thorns
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
Canker or sap rot, Fungal leaf spot, Scale insects, Wilt (Pest resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
