The Oleaster Family
What are they?
This is a family of deciduous or evergreen, woody plants that is most easily recognised by the peculiar covering of dense, silvery or brownish scales, or stellate hairs, that cover the young leaves, fruits, flowers and branches. The scales wear off over time on most parts except the undersides of the leaves.
Where are they found?
One species is native in a few coastal locations but others are widely planted for screening, especially in coastal areas as they tend to be tolerant of salty air.
Identification
Members of this family can quickly be recognised by the presence of the silvery or brown scales or stellate hairs. Sea-buckthorn is readily told by its narrow, willow-like leaves, while the oleasters require closer attention to the flowers and leaves.
Sea-buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides
Probably native on a few coastal sand dune sites, but widely introduced and planted elsewhere, especially in coastal areas. Flowers March to April. Deciduous, spiny shrub to 2.5m in height, suckering readily to form dense thickets in sand dunes. Where planted, it more often forms a taller (to 5m), stouter-branched plant. Flowers tiny, appearing in the leaf axils early in the year, with male and female flowers carried on separate bushes. Female bushes later bear large quantities of orange berries.
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Ebbinge's Oleaster Elaeagnus x submacrophylla
A hybrid of cultivated origin. Widely planted in urban and suburban areas for hedging and screening and may sometimes be found in roadside hedges. Flowers October to November. Evergreen shrub to 3m in height. Flowers white, small and often hidden by the relatively large leaves, but easily picked up by their strong scent. Leaves up to 13cm in length, densely covered with silver scales below and with just a scattering of brown scales. Berries are rarely produced, typically falling before fully mature, but when ripe they eventually turn red. Often grown in a range of variegated forms but these readily revert to green when not tended.
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Spiny Oleaster Elaeagnus pungens
Introduced from Japan as a garden ornamental and occasionally planted in amenity areas or churchyards. Flowers October to November. Evergreen shrub to 4m in height. Flowers white, small and often hidden by the leaves, but easily picked up by their strong scent. Leaves up to 10cm in length, often curved downwards towards the tip, densely covered with silver scales below and mixed with brown scales, especially along the midrib. Often grown in a range of variegated forms but these readily revert to green when not tended.
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Autumn-olive Elaeagnus umbellata
(Spreading Oleaster) Introduced from Eastern Asia as a garden ornamental and occasionally planted in amenity areas or churchyards. Flowers May to July. Deciduous shrub to 4m in height. Flowers white at first, but soon fading to dull cream or yellowish. Leaves up to 9cm in length, often undulate along the margins, densely covered with silver scales below. Used as a stock plant for grafting evergreen oleaster species onto and sometimes continues to grow after the grafted species dies, producing odd Autumn-olives in hedge lines of other oleasters.
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