E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Elaeagnus angustifolia L.
Russian olive
Elaeagnaceae (Oleaster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Virginia Skilton  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #66324)

 E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Elaeagnus angustifolia
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.
General:
Deciduous shrub or small tree; stems sometimes thorny, branched, young twigs silvery, to 7 m tall.
Leaves:
Alternate, linear to linear-lanceolate, 4-8 cm long, silvery on both surfaces but paler below, entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of 1 to few short-stalked flowers in axillary clusters; corollas dark yellow within, silvery outside, funnel-shaped, about 1 cm long, 4-lobed, aromatic; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Single achenes enclosed in silvery-scaly drupes or berries, 1-2 cm long, elliptic, yellow.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Yellow
Present from Summer to Fall
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Moist to dry roadsides and waste places in the steppe zone; locally frequent in SC BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Elaeagnus angustifolia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres)
Slope Gradient (%) 1 1 1
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		4 4 4
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 1
Modal BEC Zone Class
 SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: SBS(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Elaeagnus angustifolia var. orientalis (L.) Kuntze

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links


Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
 Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-21 3:33:21 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
© E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.