Elaeagnus conferta seed
LATIN NAME: Elaeagnus conferta
COMMON NAME: Basket Elaeagnus, Dense-flowered Silverberry
Basket elaeagnus is a plant that gives more than it asks, and it is one of the most generous fruiting shrubs you can grow. It is a scrambling, evergreen shrub that grows into a broad, arching mound, with long branches covered in small, oval leaves that are dark green above and silvery beneath, giving the whole plant a soft, glinting shimmer in the light. In late summer the branches carry small, fragrant, creamy-white flowers, and these are followed by a heavy crop of plump, oval fruits that ripen from green to a rich orange-red, sweet and pleasantly tart when fully ripe. The fruit is delicious eaten fresh, and the shrub is remarkably productive.
Basket elaeagnus belongs to the oleaster family, Elaeagnaceae, and it is native to Southeast Asia, from India through southern China and into Southeast Asia, where it grows wild along forest edges. Like its relatives, it is a tough plant that improves the soil as it grows, because its roots work with bacteria to capture nitrogen from the air.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing basket elaeagnus from seed is easy and rewarding. The seeds sit inside the ripe fruits, and they germinate readily in warm, moist conditions. Clean the seeds from the fruit, sow them in pots of free-draining compost, about a centimetre deep, and keep them warm and evenly moist. Germination usually begins within two to six weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and give them plenty of light, planting them out in a sunny or partly shaded spot with reasonably good drainage. The young plants grow fast and are remarkably tough once established, tolerating poor soil and drought. Within a few years you will have a vigorous, productive shrub, and the first basket of sweet orange fruits will make all the waiting worthwhile.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Basket elaeagnus is of real interest in both food and ecological research. The fruit is studied for its nutritional value, including its vitamins, sugars and antioxidant compounds, and researchers have examined its potential as a commercial fruit crop in warm regions. Like other members of the elaeagnus family, the plant is also studied for its nitrogen-fixing root symbiosis, which allows it to grow in poor soils and enrich them as it grows, and it is used in research on soil improvement and land restoration. Its drought tolerance and its fast, productive growth make it valuable in studies of hardy fruit plants for difficult sites. For a plant that simply produces and improves the soil, basket elaeagnus has a practical and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, basket elaeagnus is a benefactor. It fixes nitrogen and enriches the soil, its flowers feed bees and other pollinators, and its heavy crops of fruit feed birds and wildlife through the season.
Its economic value is real and varied. The sweet, tangy fruits are eaten fresh and are increasingly used in juices, jams and desserts, with growing interest as a specialty fruit in warm regions. The plant is also grown as an ornamental for its silvery foliage and its fragrant flowers, and it is useful for hedging and for stabilising poor, dry ground. For a grower, basket elaeagnus is a productive, low-input fruit shrub with a promising market, and for a gardener it brings fruit, fragrance and silvery beauty all in one plant.
The fruit are valued because they ripen very early in the year when few other fruit are available. They are eaten fresh, usually with sugar, or are used in preparing sweet drinks. The fruit pulp, roots, and leaves are also used medicinally.
