Elaeagnus glabra

Evergreen shrub reaching 6m with medium growth. Year-round foliage and flowers from October to November; seeds ripen in May. Hardy to UK zone 8. 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 soils. Adapts to full shade, semi-shade, or full sun. Drought-tolerant and maritime-hardy.

Description

A sprawling shrub. It does not have thorns. It grows 6 m tall. The young branches are shiny brown. The leaves are narrow and dark green above and with brown scales underneath. The flowers are fragrant. The fruit are orange with silver speckles. They are on long slender stalks.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, but must be fully ripe before it can be enjoyed raw — if even slightly under-ripe it will be quite astringent. The oval fruit is about 15mm long and contains a single large seed. The seed can also be eaten raw or cooked alongside the fruit, though the seed case is rather fibrous.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

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 is a temperate plant. In China it grows in thickets at about 2,200 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 7-9.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan,

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils that are well-drained. Prefers a soil that is only moderately fertile, succeeding in poor soils and dry soils. Requires a lime-free soil. A very shade tolerant plant, it can be grown under other trees and will eventually climb up into them. Plants are not reliably hardy in the colder areas of the country. This species has some potential as a commercial crop in temperate areas. It does not always carry a good crop, and research needs to be carried out to find the reasons for it, but the fruit is of a reasonable size and, when fully ripe, of a reasonable flavour. It seems to be the latest to ripen in spring of the evergreen Elaeagnus. Closely related to E. pungens, differing in its unarmed branches and thinner more glossy leaves. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. An excellent companion plant, when grown in orchards it can increase yields from the fruit trees by up to 10%. The small flowers are deliciously scented, their aroma pervading the garden on calm days.

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, tolerating 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. The plant is also a nitrogen fixer.

Production

In China plants flower in September to November and fruit April to May.

Notes

There are 45 Elaeagnus species.

Also Known As

Bolttu

References (7)

• Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 275
• Fl. jap. 67. 1784
• Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 569
• Hwang, H., et al, 2013, A Study on the Flora of 15 Islands in the Western Sea of Jeollanamdo Province, Korea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol. 6, No. 2 281-310
• Niwano, Y. et al., 2009, Extensive Screening for Plant Foodstuffs in Okinawa, Japan with Anti-Obese Activity on Adipocytes, in vitro. Plant Foods in Human Nutrition 64:6-10

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