Elaeagnus yoshinoi

Makino

Elaeagnaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds

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President and Fellows of Harvard College

Summary

Deciduous shrub reaching 5m tall. Flowers in May with seeds ripening in August. Hermaphroditic, insect-pollinated. Fixes nitrogen. Tolerates light, medium, or heavy soils with good drainage preferred and poor fertility acceptable. Accepts mildly acidic to basic pH. Grows in light woodland or full sun. Drought-tolerant and handles strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Description

A shrub. It grows 5 m tall. The fruit are about 1 cm across. They contain one large seed.

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Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked but must be fully ripe before eating raw — even slightly underripe fruit is quite astringent. It is about 10mm long and contains a single large seed. The seed can also be eaten raw or cooked alongside the fruit, though the seed casing is rather fibrous.

Traditional Uses

The very ripe fruit are eaten raw or cooked. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Like many in its genus, the fruit is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals — particularly vitamins A, C and E — along with flavonoids and other bio-active compounds. It is also a fairly good source 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.

Where It Grows

Asia, Japan,

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The plant is endemic to Japan, where it is very rare, and is included in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in most soils that are well-drained. Prefers a soil that is only moderately fertile, succeeding in poor soils and in dry soils. Established plants are drought resistant. 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%.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, where it should germinate in late winter or early spring, though it may take 18 months. Stored seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking more than 18 months. A warm stratification of 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. Cuttings of mature wood from the current year's growth, 10–12cm with a heel, taken in October/November in a frame — these are rather slow and difficult to root, so leave for 12 months. Layering in September/October takes 12 months.