Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). Sometimes called the
oleaster or the Trebizond date, this 10 to 20 foot high Eurasian tree with
spiny branches and silvery leaves is widely grown as an ornamental and as
a windbreak. It bears a yellowish, egg-shaped, berrylike fruit (not a true
berry) that is about 1/2 inch long and tastes sweet but mealy. The flowers
producing the fruit are very fragrant, so much so that the Russians once
believed it excited women sexually and wouldn’t allow their wives outside
when the tree was in bloom. The Russian olive tolerates a variety of dry
sites, and is hardy form zone 2 or stratified seeds sown the second year.
Some forty species of Elaeagnus are known, including the following, which
are also valued for their fruit.
Elaegnus Commutata. The Silverberry or wolfberry. A handsome shrub
with silbery leaves, fragrant silvery yellow flowers, and sweet, mealy,
silvery fruits about 1/3 inch long. The erect shrub grows 8 to 12 feet
high, spreads by stolons, and is hardy everywhere.
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