Elaeagnus

Excellent hedge and windbreak plant with silvery foliage that adds year-round texture and light reflection to gardens. Many species are evergreen with fragrant flowers, making them valuable for screening, coastal gardens, and wildlife habitats. Tolerates poor soils and fixes nitrogen.

Fruits are rich in vitamins C and E, lycopene, and essential fatty acids. Traditional uses include treating respiratory ailments, digestive issues, and inflammation. The berries have antioxidant properties and leaves have been used for coughs and lung conditions in folk medicine.

Berries are edible when fully ripe, tart-sweet with an astringent quality that improves after frost. Can be made into jams, jellies, sauces, and fruit leather. Some species like E. multiflora (goumi) and E. umbellata (autumn olive) produce better-flavored fruits suitable for fresh eating.

Nitrogen-fixing shrub that enriches soil through root nodules containing Frankia bacteria. Provides excellent wildlife habitat and food for birds who spread seeds widely. Can be invasive in some regions, particularly E. umbellata in North America. Drought and salt tolerant.

Deciduous or evergreen shrubs/small trees with distinctive silvery or bronze scales on leaves, twigs, and fruits. Leaves alternate, simple, entire. Small tubular flowers, often fragrant, followed by drupe-like fruits with silvery-speckled skin. Thorny or thornless depending on species.

Wood is hard and dense but typically too small for commercial timber use. Sometimes used for tool handles, turnery, and small crafts. The flexible branches have been used in basketry and the wood burns well as fuel.

The silvery appearance comes from tiny umbrella-shaped scales that reflect light. Some species can change soil pH and chemistry significantly through nitrogen fixation. The genus name means 'olive-like' in Greek, though unrelated to true olives.