Elaeagnus cordifolia

Elaeagnaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds

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Summary

Evergreen shrub reaching 4m tall and wide with medium growth. Year-round foliage and flowers from October to November, with seeds ripening in May. Hermaphroditic and bee-pollinated. Fixes nitrogen. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage and poor soil nutrition. Grows in mildly acidic to neutral pH. Adapts to full shade, semi-shade, or full sun. Drought-tolerant and maritime-hardy.

Description

An evergreen shrub. It grows 4 m tall and spreads 4 m wide. The fruit are 2 cm long and 1.4 cm wide. There is one large seed.

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Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, but must be fully ripe before it develops its best flavour — prior to that it is acid and somewhat astringent. The oval fruit grows up to 20mm long and 14mm wide, containing a single large seed. The seed itself can also be eaten raw or cooked alongside the fruit, though its outer casing is rather fibrous.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit can be eaten raw or cooked.

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Medicinal Uses

The fruit is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins A, C and E, flavanoids and other bio-active compounds. It also provides a fairly good supply of essential fatty acids, which is unusual for a fruit. It is being investigated for its potential to reduce the incidence of cancer and to halt or reverse cancer growth.

Distribution

It needs a well-drained soils and can grow in poor soils.

Where It Grows

Asia,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds. It can also be grown by layering. It can be grown as a hedge.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. It should germinate freely within 4 weeks, though it may take 18 months. Stored seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking more than 18 months; a warm stratification for 4 weeks followed by 12 weeks of cold stratification can help. Prick out seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out when at least 15cm tall. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7–10cm with a heel, taken in July/August in a frame give a good percentage — June is the best time to take them. Cuttings of mature wood from the current year's growth, 10–12cm with a heel, taken in November in a frame give a fair to good percentage; leave for 12 months. Layering in September/October takes 12 months.

Other Uses

Plants can be grown as a hedge in exposed positions, including those with maritime exposure, and form a good windbreak, though they are somewhat slow to reach an effective size. They do well when planted under trees that have become bare at the base, eventually scrambling up into the tree and filling out the lower portion. As nitrogen fixers, they also benefit neighbouring plants.