Oleaster (elaeagnus)
Elaeagnus
Botanical family: Elaeagnaceae
The genus Elaeagnus brings together shrubs resistant to wind, salt, and drought, often used as a windbreak hedge or a bank stabiliser. Some species such as Elaeagnus umbellata or E. multiflora produce small edible tart fruits, appreciated in jam in their Asian range of origin.
Sun to partial shade
Poor, well-drained, tolerates sand and salt (seaside)
Low once established
Hardy (withstands -15 to -20 °C depending on species)
Overwinters in your zone
Role in permaculture
A shrub that captures nitrogen from the air, like the alder, the elaeagnus thrives on poor, sandy soils. Its small but very fragrant flowers, borne in autumn or winter depending on the species, offer a precious out-of-season nectar resource.
Insects attracted or useful
Documented synergies
Relationships backed by a named source, with their real scope. A synergy without a named reference has no place here, no “it is said that…”.
Like the alder, the oleaster fixes nitrogen via Frankia, and substantially for itself: on salty land, the share of its nitrogen coming from fixation rises sharply over the years. Note: these measurements concern the PLANT's nitrogen, not a quantified transfer to its neighbours.
scientific study
- · Djumaeva D. et al. (2010), Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 88, DOI 10.1007/s10705-010-9357-5
- · Ghodhbane-Gtari et al. (2020), Microbiology Resource Announcements 9(37):e00824-20, DOI 10.1128/MRA.00824-20
Its litter, rich in nitrogen thanks to fixation, speeds the release of mineral nitrogen in the soil beneath the shrub. A measured and not negligible effect along a watercourse: though small in mass, the oleaster's leaf fall carried a large share of the nitrogen and explained a good half of the soil differences between sites. A localised effect beneath the plant.
scientific study
- · Follstad Shah J.J., Harner M.J., Tibbets T.M. (2010), Ecosystems 13:46-61, DOI 10.1007/s10021-009-9299-4
Very hardy (salt, drought, poor soils), the oleaster is traditionally planted as a windbreak hedge and to stabilise banks, including on degraded land where it combines wind protection and nitrogen enrichment. The use is widely documented; the extent of the wind protection is not quantified here.
institutional source
- · Djumaeva et al. (2010), Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 88, DOI 10.1007/s10705-010-9357-5 (contexte agroforestier)
The other side of the coin: the nitrogen enrichment that appeals is also its nuisance. In North America, several Elaeagnus are recognised invasives forming dense stands and altering the soil micro-organisms around them. In France, E. angustifolia appears on some regional lists of invasive alien species (status varying by region). To be planted knowingly, not near a sensitive natural setting.
scientific study
- · Malinich E., Lynn-Bell N., Kourtev P.S. (2017), Ecosphere 8, DOI 10.1002/ecs2.1827
Seasons & availability
The oleaster is strongly scented and flowers in spring, in May and June for the deciduous species such as E. umbellata, the autumn olive, and E. angustifolia, the Russian olive; in autumn, from September to November depending on the species, it carries small red or reddish berries, sharp and edible when fully ripe. It is increased mainly by cuttings or young plants, but can also be sown in spring after about three months of stratification.
Available: September, October, November.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- Plants For A Future, « Elaeagnus umbellata » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Elaeagnus+umbellata)
- Plants For A Future, « Elaeagnus angustifolia » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Elaeagnus+angustifolia)
- Missouri Botanical Garden, « Elaeagnus angustifolia » (plantfinder.mobot.org/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279922)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
The fruit is only really pleasant at full ripeness: picked too early, it's very astringent and harsh. It's not a medicinal plant, and the richness in lycopene is to be appreciated within the overall diet, without any proper effect attributable to the berry.
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Iranians (Persian world), the Haft-sin table of Nowruz · Iran and the Persian world; a living tradition, celebrated at the spring equinox (Nowruz, the Persian New Year)
On the Haft-sin table set for Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebrated at the spring equinox, figures the senjed, the dried fruit of Elaeagnus angustifolia (narrow-leaved oleaster, called 'Russian olive'), one of the seven items whose name begins with the letter 's'. The fact is well attested and still practised: Nowruz is inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage. The senjed is usually read there as the symbol of love: a meaning handed down by tradition, not fixed once and for all.
Emory University Libraries, « Nowruz », guide de recherche ; University of Connecticut, Middle Eastern Cultural Programs, « Nowruz » (middleeasterncultural.programs.uconn.edu) ; UNESCO, Liste représentative du patrimoine culturel immatériel de l'humanité, « Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz » (2024).
A living tradition, credited precisely to Iranians and the Persian world, never to a vague 'Orient' or to 'the Ancients'. The meaning ascribed to the senjed is an interpretation that varies from one source to another, not a fixed fact: given here as a common reading, not as dogma. No medicinal use is asserted here; it's a festive symbol, not a health claim.
Key takeaways
- • Prefers sun to partial shade exposure.
- • Ideal soil: poor, well-drained, tolerates sand and salt (seaside).