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 Appearance:
Large deciduous shrub or small tree, up to 25' tall. Spreading branches
form a dense rounded crown. Thin bark comes off in narrow, elongate,
fibrous strips. Twigs are very flexible and bear a terminal spine.
Leaves:
Alternate, distinctive silver-gray, lanceolate. Flower:
Yellow spicy-fragrant flowers are borne either individually or in
small clusters in the leaf axils; blooming in late spring. Fruit:
Dry, olive-like, hard. Seeds:
Viable in the soil for three years. Root:
Deep taproot is capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil. |
Russian olive quickly takes
over streambanks, lake shores and wet meadows, choking out native
vegetation and riparian habitat. It tolerates shade and a variety
of soil moisture conditions. It interferes with nutrient cycling and
taxes water reserves. It also propagates vegetatively by sprouts from
buds formed on the root crown and by root suckers. Russian olive is
a native of southern Europe and western Asia that was introduced to
North America as an ornamental and windbreak plant in the late
1800s. It can grow on bare mineral soil, which encouraged planting
it on mine spoils. |
 PCA
Alien Plant Working Group. www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/elan1
The Nature Conservancy Element Stewardship Abstract |
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