[The Oleaster Family East of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Russian Olive, Russian-olive, Oleaster

Elaeagnus angustifolia

The photo above shows the grayish-green leaves and yellowish flowers of Russian olive as seen near Rimrock Lake in Moses Coulee, north-central Washington.........June 7, 2009.

The photo at right shows Russian olive growing along the east bank of the John Day River a mile upstream from its mouth (with the Columbia River). Photographed on April 23, 2000.

Characteristics:

Russian olive is a spiny-branched shrub or small tree up to 8 meters high. Its stems are slender and pliable and armed with long thorns at the nodes (See photos.). The leaves are linear to linear-lanceolate in shape and are covered with whitish hairs. The upper blade surfaces are less densely hairy, so they may appear slightly greenish while the lower blades are densely covered and appear white.

The flowers are found in the leaf axils, either singly or in clusters up to three. The blossoms are silvery outside and yellow inside, and are sweetly fragrant. The fruits are slenderly ovoid in shape and up to 7-8 mm long.

Habitat:

Russian olive may be found around ranches and old homesteads, or occasionally in dry open areas near water.

Range:

Russian olive is an Eurasian species planted as a windbreak or ornamental plant throughout the west. It is either long-persistent on old homestead sites or perhaps spreads occasionally across riparian areas.

Russian olive growing in a small creek about one mile north of Washington Highway 24 in the Wahluke Unit of the Hanford Reach National Monument...........May 13, 2013.

Russian olive as seen along the trail at the Wallula Unit, McNary National Wildlife Refuge...........Oct 18, 2012.

Thorns of russian olive -

Leaves of russian olive: Elaeagnus angustifolia

The photo above shows the grayish-green leaves of Russian olive.

Paul Slichter