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Elaeagnus umbellata

(Japanese Silverberry)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Chinese:

Niu Nai Zi

Common Names in English:

Aki-Gumi, Autumn Elaeagnus, Autumn Elaeangus, Autumn Oleaster, Autumn Olive, Autumn-Olive, Cartwheel-Flower, Elaeagnus, Giant Hogweed, Japanese Silverberry, Oleaster, Silverberry

Common Names in German:

Doldige ölweide

Common Names in Japanese:

Aki-Gumi

Common Names in Korean:

Porisunamu

Description

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Family Elaeagnaceae

Trees or shrubs , deciduous or evergreen ; most parts with distinctive silvery or brownish peltate scales and/or stellate hairs , sometimes branches spine-tipped. Leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled ; stipules absent; petiole usually present, sometimes short; leaf blade often leathery, simple , margin entire or subentire , abaxially densely stellate-hairy or peltate-scaly, pinnately veined. Flowers solitary or in clusters or short racemes , actinomorphic , bisexual , or unisexual (plants dioecious) . Calyx in bisexual and female flowers tubular , 2-6(-8) -lobed, male flowers of Hippophae of 2 membranous sepals. Petals absent. Stamens 4-8, free , adnate to calyx tube, in male flowers 2 × as many as the lobes , in bisexual flowers as many as the lobes and alternate with them. Ovary superior but tightly enclosed in differentiated basal part of calyx and apparently inferior, 1-loculed; style elongate , stigma lateral . Ovule 1, basal, anatropous . Fruit drupelike, indehiscent, enclosed in base of calyx tube and containing a single seed.

Three genera and ca. 90 species: N temperate and tropical regions ; two genera and 74 species (59 endemic) in China.

The fruits of many members of this family are edible, and some species of both Elaeagnus and Hippophae are widely utilized and sometimes cultivated as fruit trees. They are a particularly good source of Vitamin C. Several species are also grown as ornamental garden shrubs. The roots are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen making it possible for plants to grow well on very poor soils. For this reason, some species, most notably Elaeagnus angustifolia, have been used for land reclamation.[1]

Genus Elaeagnus

Shrubs , sometimes climbing , or small trees , deciduous or evergreen , sometimes spiny . Leaves alternate, petiolate , blade margin usually entire. Flowers bisexual , clustered on short axillary shoots , sometimes solitary. Calyx tubular , 4-lobed, constricted above ovary and breaking at constriction as fruit develops; lobes usually spreading , deciduous, white or yellow inside. Stamens 4, inserted in mouth of calyx tube, alternate with lobes. Style linear , not exserted. Drupe globose or ellipsoid , rarely longitudinally winged (E. mollis) ; stone usually 8-ribbed, with a large straight embryo.

About 90 species: Asia, S Europe, North America; 67 species (55 endemic) in China.

Many taxa are separated only by quantitative characters, and better information on population variation is likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of species recognized. Indeed, recent studies (Du, Fl. Yunnan. 12: 749-776. 2006) suggest that some species of Elaeagnus should be combined.[2]

Physical Description

Species Elaeagnus umbellata

Shrubs , deciduous, erect with branchlets spreading . New branches and buds silvery scaly . Petiole 3-5(-10) mm; leaf blade obovate , 2.2-5.5(-8) × 1-1.6(-2.5) cm, papery , abaxially densely white scaly, adaxially sparsely scaly when young, lateral veins 5-8 per side of midrib , base cuneate, apex acute to obtuse . Flowers 1-3(-7) -fasciculate in axils of both long and short shoots ; pedicel 3-6(-8) mm, to 1.2 cm in fruit. Flowers silvery white. Calyx tube funnel-shaped, 5-7 mm, slender; lobes triangular-ovate, 2.8-3 mm. Filaments ca. 0.7 mm; anthers elliptic , 1.8-2 mm. Style 6-7 mm, with stellate hairs ; stigma ca. 2.2 mm. Drupe red, nearly globose , (6-) 8-9 mm. Seed ca. 7 mm. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 28*. [source]

ID Features: Large spreading shrub, weedy appearance. Suckers / invasive. Alternate leaf arrangement. Brown lenticels cover every part of plant. Silvery look to foliage, fruit and flowers.

Habit: A deciduous large shrub with a weedy appearance .

Flowers: Silvery white flowers. Fragrant. 0.5" in diameter. Flowers are funnel shaped. Blooms in May. • Bloom Period: April, May. • Flower Color: pale yellow

Seeds: Fruit: Red globose fruits. Brown scales cover fruit. Ripen in September. 0.33" long. Birds eat fruit.

Foliage: Summer foliage: Alternate, deciduous leaves. Simple leaves. 2" to 4" long by approx. 1" wide. Elliptic leaf shape with a rounded leaf base . Leaves covered with silvery scales and brown lenticels . Bright green leaf color with silvery underside mixed with brown lenticels. • Fall foliage: No fall color.

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Fast. • Size: 15' tall by 15' wide.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Naturalistic areas. Wood edges . For flowering and fruiting effect. Fragrance. • Liabilities: Not recommended for residential use. Invasive. Weedy appearance .

Habitat

Thickets; (100-)500-3000 m [3].

E. umbellata can grow well on a variety of soils, including sandy, loamy, and somewhat clayey textures with a pH range of 4.8-6.5 (Holtz 1981, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987). It apparently does not grow as well on very wet or dry sites (Allan and Steiner 1965, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987), but it has been described as having excellent tolerance to drought (Sharp 1977, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987). Mature trees tolerate light shade but produce more fruits in full sun , and seedlings may be shade intolerant (Holtz 1981, Nestleroad et al. 1984, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987). E. umbellata invades prairies and fields (Eckardt and Sather, 1987), and it also grows in forests in its native (Kaushal and Parmar, 1982) and alien (Reed, 1993) ranges.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,919 meters (0 to 6,296 feet).[4]

Biome: Disturbed areas, natural forest , range/grasslands.

Ecology: Eckardt and Sather (1987) cite that the nitrogen-fixing capabilities of E. umbellata has the capacity to adversely affect the nitrogen cycle of native communities that may depend on infertile soils.Eckardt and Sather (1987) state that it exhibits prolific fruiting, rapid growth, is widely disseminated by birds, and can easily adapt to many sites. It is vigorous and competitive against native species (Nestleroad et al. 1984, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987). E. umbellata seems to be a problem only in locations where small stands or rows were planted, usually within the last 10-20 years, and have begun to spread into adjacent fields or natural areas. It apparently can become troublesome where it occurs on or next to prairies with infrequent prescribed burns because it resprouts quickly after fire damage or cutting. E. umbellata is just beginning to be recognized as a potentially serious problem exotic .E. umbellata has the potential of becoming one of the most troublesome, adventive shrubs in the central and eastern United States (Sternberg 1982, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987).

Biology

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Diet

[Migration]

Reproduction

Eckardt and Sather (1987) state that E. umbellata grows rapidly, producing fruits in 3-5 years. It produces a large amount of seed, each tree producing 1-3.5 kg of seed per year and the number of seeds per kg range from 44,400 - 120,000.

Cold stratification is required to break embryo dormancy (Holtz 1981, in Eckardt and Sather, 1987). Eckardt and Sather (1987) state that the effect of stratification by passing through a bird's digestive tract has apparently not been reported. Reed (1993) states that optimum germination is achieved with a minimum stratification period of 16 weeks at 10-20 deg C.

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Full sun to light shade. Tolerant of drought , heat, wind. Prefers acidic, sandy soils.

Soil: Minimum pH: 7.6 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Publishing author : Wall. Publication : Cat. n. 4026; Royle, Illustr. Bot. Himal. 323. t. 61. f. 1A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database .

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: J. A. Murray, Syst. veg. ed. 14:164. 1784 May-Jun (Fl. jap. 66, t. 14. 1784 Aug)

Name verified on 31-Dec-2007 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 31-Dec-2007

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Elaeagnus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 244 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

E. acuminata · E. alingaro · E. angustata · E. angustifolia (Silver Russian Olive) · E. angustifolia orientalis · E. angustifolia 'Quicksilver' (Silver Russian Olive) · E. angustifolia 'Red King' · E. angustifolia L. var. spinosa (L.) Kuntze · E. angustifolia subsp. orientalis · E. angustifolia var. orientalis · E. angustifolius · E. arakiana · E. arborea · E. argentea · E. argyi · E. armata · E. asakawana · E. augustifolia · E. bambusetorum · E. bockii · E. bonii · E. breyniastrum · E. buisanensis · E. calcarea · E. canadensis · E. caspica · E. caudata · E. chekiangensis · E. chrysophylla · E. cinnamomifolia · E. communis · E. commutata (American Silverberry) · E. commutata 'Zempin' · E. conferta · E. conferta dendroidea · E. confierta · E. convexolepidota · E. coreanus · E. courtoisi · E. crispa · E. cumingii · E. cuprea · E. cyanea · E. dactyliformis · E. daibuensis · E. davidi · E. delavayi · E. difficilis · E. dulcis · E. ebbingei · E. edulis · E. elliptica · E. emarginata · E. epitricha · E. erivanensis · E. erosifolia · E. fargesii · E. fasciculata · E. ferruginea · E. flava · E. formosana · E. formosensis · E. fragrans · E. fruticosa · E. fusca · E. gaudichaudiana · E. geniculata · E. ghuwacen · E. glabra · E. glabra 'Reflexa' · E. gonyanthes · E. grandifolia · E. griffithii · E. grijsii · E. guizhouensis · E. henryi · E. heterophylla · E. higoensis · E. hisauchii · E. hortensis · E. hypoargentea · E. incana · E. indica · E. inermis · E. infundibularis · E. isensis · E. javanica · E. jiangxiensis · E. jingdonensis · E. jucundicocca · E. kanaii · E. kologa · E. kotoensis · E. lanceolata · E. 'Lannou' · E. lanpingensis · E. latifolia (Wild Olive) · E. lipoensis · E. liukiuensis · E. liuzhouensis

More Info

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Further Reading

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  • Chang Che-yung. 1983. Elaeagnaceae. In: Fang Wen-pei & Chang Che-yung, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 52(2): 1-66.

    • Notes

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    Contributors

    Data Sources

    Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 14, 2007:

    Identifiers

    Footnotes

    1. Haining Qin & Michael G. Gilbert "Elaeagnaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 251. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
    2. "Elaeagnus". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 251. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
    3. "Elaeagnus umbellata". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 252, 267. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
    4. Mean = 474.840 meters (1,557.874 feet), Standard Deviation = 897.550 based on 107 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
    Last Revised: 2009-09-11