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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
ABBREVIATION :
ELAANG
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
ELAN
COMMON NAMES :
Russian-olive
oleaster
narrow-leafed oleaster
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for Russian-olive is Elaeagnus
angustifolia L. [12,20,28,30]. Recognized varieties are as follows
[20,28,30]:
E. angustifolia var. angustifolia
E. angustifolia var. orientalis Dippl
E. angustifolia var. spinosa Schneid.
LIFE FORM :
Tree, Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Julie L. Tesky, June 1992.
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Tesky, Julie L. 1992. Elaeagnus angustifolia. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Russian-olive is a native of southern Europe and western Asia [27,30].
It was introduced into the United States in the early 1900's. By the
mid-1900's it had escaped cultivation and is now extensively naturalized
in 17 western states bordered on the east by the Dakotas, Nebraska,
Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas [7,24,27,30], and extending west to the
Pacific Coast. It also occurs in southern Canada from Ontario to
British Columbia [2,7,20]. It grows in some eastern states but is not
naturalized [2,7,27].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES31 Shinnery
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES40 Desert grasslands
STATES :
AL AZ AR CA CO ID IL IN IA KS
KY LA MN MT NE NV NM ND NY OH
OK OR PA SD TN TX UT WA WI WY
AB BC MB ON SK MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
ARCH BICA CACH CANY CARE CATO
COLM FIIS GATE GRCA HOSP JODA
PIPE SCBL THRO TICA ZION
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K019 Arizona pine forest
K022 Great Basin pine forest
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K027 Mesquite bosque
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K057 Galleta - three-awn shrubsteppe
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K071 Shinnery
K081 Oak savanna
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
63 Cottonwood
95 Black willow
235 Cottonwood - willow
236 Bur oak
237 Interior ponderosa pine
240 Arizona cypress
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Publications listing Russian-olive as a dominant or codominant in
classification schemes are listed below:
Riparian dominance types of Montana [13]
Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in central
and eastern Montana [14]
Plant associates: Plant species associated with Russian-olive are
typically those also associated with mesic meadows and floodplain
forests. Perennial grasses tend to be prominent in areas infested with
Russian olive. Common plant associates are bearded wheatgrass (Elymus
trachycaulus ssp. subsecundus), redtop (Agrostis gigantea), common
ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), tansyleaf aster (Machaeranthera
tanacetifolia), eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides var. deltoides),
green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), boxelder (Acer negundo), peachleaf
willow (Salix amygdaloides), and narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus
angustifolia) [5,13,14,15].
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Russian-olive wood is not commercially important [19].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
More than 50 species of birds and mammals eat the fruit of
Russian-olive. Of these, 12 are game birds [2]. The foliage is browsed
by deer and livestock [19]. Beavers use Russian-olive branches for
dam-building material [25].
In general, Russian-olive-dominated communities provide inferior
wildlife habitat to that of native riparian vegetation. In Idaho,
willow habitats had a significantly higher density of breeding birds
than Russian-olive habitats [31]. Russian-olive can displace some
native woody species. It is established throughout the Platte River
drainage of Nebraska and is projected to displace native plains
cottonwood (Populus deltoides var. occidentalis) as a climax species.
This displacement will dramatically influence the native birds. The
plant community will no longer provide essential habitat components for
selected guilds such as cavity-nesting birds [25,31]. Ducks may avoid
wetlands rimmed by dense stands of Russian-olive [25].
PALATABILITY :
Russian-olive's palatability to livestock and wildlife species in
several western states has been rated as follows [6]:
CO MT ND UT WY
Cattle Poor Fair Fair Poor Poor
Sheep Fair Fair Good Fair Fair
Horses Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor
Pronghorn ---- Fair ---- Fair Poor
Elk ---- ---- ---- Good Fair
Mule deer ---- Poor Poor Good Good
White-tailed deer Good Fair ---- ---- Poor
Small mammals Good ---- ---- Good Good
Small nongame birds Good Good Fair Good Good
Upland game birds ---- Good Good Good Good
Waterfowl ---- ---- ---- Fair Good
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Russian-olive has been rated fair in protein and energy value [6].
Russian-olive fruit from the Northern Great Plains contained 5.0
kcal/gram of gross energy and 6.6 percent crude protein. Its fruit
provided a good source of food for sharp-tailed grouse in winter [8].
COVER VALUE :
Russian-olive's spreading thorny branches and thicket-forming growth
make excellent thermal and hiding cover for some wildlife species [2,6].
Mourning doves, mocking birds, greater roadrunners and several other
species of birds use Russian-olive for nesting [2]. The degree to which
Russian-olive provides environmental protection during one or more
seasons for wildlife species has been rated as follows [6]:
CO MT ND UT WY
Pronghorn ---- ---- Fair Fair Poor
Elk ---- ---- ---- Good Good
Mule deer ---- Fair Good Good Good
White-tailed deer Good Good ---- ---- Good
Small mammals Good Fair ---- Good Good
Small nongame birds Good Good Good Good Good
Upland game birds Good Good Good Good Good
Waterfowl ---- ---- ---- Good Fair
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Due to its dense growth form, hardiness, and adaptibility to a wide
range of soil and moisture conditions, Russian-olive has been widely
planted in shelterbelts throughout the prairie states [4,11,23]. It has
also been used for wildlife habitat plantings, erosion control and
highway beautification [4,23]. Russian-olive is a nitrogen-fixing
species [22,33]. Because of its ability to increase available nitrogen
in the soil, Russian-olive is sometimes interplanted with other tree
crops to increase their growth and yield [33]. Russian-olive has a
tendency to spread to areas where it is not desired; therefore, careful
monitoring of sites planted with this species is important. Because of
the potential problems Russian-olive can cause, managers may want to
consider planting native vegetation instead.
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Russian-olive is often planted as an ornamental because of its silvery
leaves and decorative fruit. It also has some value as a honey plant
[30].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Russian-olive can interfere with agricultural practices and can displace
native riparian vegetation [24]. It rapidly colonizes lowland fields,
often chokes irrigation ditches, and damages tires and equipment [25].
The impact of Russian-olive may be severe in some locations. In South
Dakota, many marshlands have been displaced by lowland Russian-olive
woodlands [25]. Russian-olive has been declared a noxious weed in Utah,
and the state of Washington is considering doing the same. The city of
Fort Collins, Colorado is actively removing the trees [31].
Control: Once established Russian-olive is difficult to control and
nearly impossible to eradicate. Efforts to control unwanted
concentrations of Russian-olive have included mowing seedlings, cutting,
burning, spraying, girdling, and bulldozing [24]. Most efforts have
realized limited success. Apparently the most effective combination of
control efforts has been cutting trees, followed by either spraying or
burning the stumps [25]. In Nebraska, Russian-olive trees were
controlled with aerial applications of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Repeated
application for 1 or 2 years was needed for best control of large trees
[3].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Russian-olive is an introduced, deciduous, shrub or small tree usually
12 to 45 feet (4-14 m) tall [2,7,12,28,30]. It can grow up to 6 feet
(1.8 m) per year [31]. It forms a dense, rounded crown [28]. Near the
ground its branches spread from 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m). Unpruned trees
have five or six main stems starting near the ground [2]. The twigs are
flexible, coated with a gray, scaly pubescence and often have a short
thorn at the end [12,28]. The leaves are 1.7 to 3.5 inches (4.5-9 cm)
long and are covered with scalelike stellate pubescence [12,28,30]. The
bark is thin with shallow fissures, and exfoliates into long strips
[28]. It has a deep taproot and well-developed lateral root system [2].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual Reproduction: The average seed-bearing age of this species is 3
to 5 years [17]. The seeds are ingested with the fruit by birds and
small mammals and dispersed in their droppings. The outer layer of the
seed is impermeable to digestive juices. The seeds can remain viable
for up to 3 years and are capable of germinating over a broad range of
soil types [17]. Germination is enhanced by stratification in moist
sand for 90 days at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 deg C) [30]. Spring
moisture and slightly alkaline soil tend to favor seedling growth [23].
Vegetative reproduction: Russian olive-sprouts from the root crown and
sends up root suckers [3,32].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Russian-olive naturalization is rapidly increasing, especially in
riparian zones [24]. It is commonly found growing along floodplains,
riverbanks, stream courses, marshes, and irrigation ditches in the West.
It is well established throughout the Platte River Drainage of Colorado
and Nebraska [24,25].
Salt-tolerance: Russian-olive is tolerant of considerable amounts of
salinity or alkalinity [24,30]. However, it prefers sites with low to
moderate concentrations (100-3,500 p/m) of soluble salts. The lower pH
limit of Russian-olive is 6 [24].
Soil and moisture: Russian-olive thrives under a wide range of soil
textures from sand to heavy clay, and can withstand flooding and
silting. It grows best in deep sandy or loamy soils with only slight
salt and alkali content. There are dense, healthy stands in
riverbottoms where the water table is seldom more than 2 feet (0.6 m)
below the surface. In contrast, it survives considerable drought [2].
Climate and elevation: Russian-olive can withstand temperatures ranging
from -50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 deg C) to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46
deg C). It occurs from sea level to at least 8,000 feet (2,438 m) [2].
Elevational range for several western states is as follows [6]:
Utah: 4,500 to 4,600 feet (1,372-1,402 m)
Colorado: 4,500 to 7,000 feet (1,372-2,134 m)
Wyoming: 3,900 to 6,200 feet (1,189-1,890 m)
Shade tolerance: Russian-olive is somewhat shade tolerant and can
withstand competition from other shrubs and trees [2,16].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Russian-olive occurs as a initial colonizer of disturbed floodplains and
streambanks. It is relatively shade tolerant and once established can
persist throughout seral stages and become the climax dominant
[2,16,25]. This species has displaced cottonwood in many major
drainages [25]. Russian-olive community types in central and eastern
Montana seem to represent a seral stage of the green ash/common
chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) habitat types or the boxelder/common
chokecherry [14].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Russian-olive generally flowers from May through June [24,28,30]. The
fruits mature from August to October and remain on the tree throughout
the winter or until the crop is consumed [2,23].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Russian-olive sprouts from the root crown after disturbance [3,32]. Its
off-site seeds are an important source in colonizing burned areas.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/soboliferous species root sucker
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Information on the effects of fire on Russian-olive is lacking. Fire
may top-kill Russian-olive.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Russian-olive sprouts from the root crown following fire [3,32]. It
also colonizes burned areas through off-site seed sources.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Fire in combination with herbicide spraying of stumps can prevent
Russian-olive from sprouting from the root crown [25].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian-Olive
REFERENCES :
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Borell, A. E. 1971. Russian-olive for wildlife and other conservation
uses. Leaflet 292. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 8 p.
[6997]
3. Bovey, R. W. 1965. Control of Russian olive by aerial application of
herbicides. Journal of Range Management. 18(4): 194-195. [18277]
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development and composition of a human-created vegetation complex.
Southeastern Geographer. 28(1): 19-33. [8787]
5. Carman, John G.; Brotherson, Jack D. 1982. Comparison of sites infested
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(Elaeagnus angustifolia). Weed Science. 30: 360-364. [6204]
6. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
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Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
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United States. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 322 p.
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8. Evans, Keith E.; Dietz, Donald R. 1974. Nutritional energetics of
sharp-tailed grouse during winter. Journal of Wildlife Management.
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ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
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11. George, Ernest J. 1953. Thirty-one-year results in growing shelterbelts
on the Northern Great Plains. Circular No. 924. Washington, DC: U.S.
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Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
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dominance types of Montana. Misc. Publ. No. 49. Missoula, MT: University
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Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in central
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Montana. Missoula, MT: University of Montana, School of Forestry,
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cottonwoods in central New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist. 36(2):
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of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
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wildlife. Bull. 14. Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Department of Game and
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following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
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14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
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Index
Related categories for Species: Elaeagnus angustifolia
| Russian-Olive
|
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