RUSSIAN OLIVE 



Elaeagnus angusti folia /.. 



The Oleaster Family 



Habit and Habitat: A good-sized tree, reaching a height <»f 16 

 feet and a trunk diameter <»f 5-10 inches: erect or commonly leaning 

 nr twisted and distorted, producing irregular and often unsightly tree; 



branching low down to form a number of erect or pendulous, irregular, 



often spiny branches to which the many slender lateral twigfl and 



spray cling for several years thus producing a more or less bushy 



irregular crown. Grows best and produces the more shapely forms in 

 moist rich soil in open sunlight, but planted in many different Bites. 



Leaves and Buds: Leaves alternate, entire or sometimes deeply 

 lobed, UUlce-shaped, narrowed at the base, obtuse or acute at the tip, 



grayish-green with scattered stellate hairs on upper surface, silvery 

 gray beneath, often dark green above, 1-4 inches long, &-% inch wide; 



petioles short, stout. Winter buds U-S inch long, silvery gray with 

 prominent peltate scales. Btrongly divergent from the twigs. 



Flowers and Fruits: Flowers appearing in June; 1-few in the axils 

 of the leaves on very short pedicels, calyx tubular or bell -shaped, 'i-'l; 

 inch long, % inch broad, 4-lobed, silvery-gray on the outside, lemon- 

 colored within, very fragrant, petals lacking, stamens I. very short. 

 attached near the throat of the calyx. The fruit is an olive-shaped. 

 or oblong structure -about % inch long and about half as thick, with a 

 silvery-gray, thin skin covering a thin layer of mealy tissue which sur- 

 rounds the oblong, brown and yellow, streaked stone, often persisting upon 

 the trees until late fall or into the winter. 



Bark, Twigs and Wood: Bark on two year old twigs smooth, shiny, 

 olive colored to dark brown; young shoots silvery gray and densely 

 covered with stellate hairs; most of the many current shoots die in the 

 fall and many of these may persist for several years, gradually weather- 

 ing away to produce numerous thorns or spines on the younger twigs. 

 The bark on the older branches becomes smooth, shiny and very dark 

 brown, and on the main trunk and its major subdivisions it becomes 

 shallowly furrowed and more or less shreddy or stringy and dark red- 

 dish-brown or almost black. The wood is dark brown, light, weak, 

 i oarse-grained, easily split and fairly durable in contact with the soil. 



Distribution in the State: The Russian Olive is a native of southern 

 Europe and western Asia but has been introduced and naturalized in 

 many portions of the United States, where it is hardy and has been 

 planted very widely as an ornamental shrub or tree. It grows well in 

 practically all parte of this state but does best in the eastern counties 

 where it has been planted as a lawn and park t r» •■ 



Remarks: Although this tree is called the Russian olive it must 

 DC under- that it is not a true olive at all. although the dry. mealy 



fruit does somewhat resemble the olive of commerce in shape and struc- 

 ture. The tree is an excellent one for ornamental purposes because of 

 the wealth of silvery gray foliage and the fragrant flowers. It is a 



rapidly growing tree and is easily transplanted. 



L61— 



