Introduction of Elaeagnus angustifolia

I don’t know if you have ever eaten Elaeagnus angustifolia. Those who haven’t eaten it must be curious about what it is. Let me tell you below.

Ecological characteristics of Elaeagnus angustifolia

Elaeagnus angustifolia (Figure 2) Elaeagnus angustifolia has strong vitality and is drought-resistant, wind-resistant, salt-alkali-resistant, and barren-resistant. Natural Elaeagnus angustifolia is only distributed in deserts and semi-desert areas with precipitation less than 150 mm, which is related to the shallow groundwater level. If the groundwater level is less than 4 meters, it will grow poorly. Elaeagnus angustifolia has high requirements for heat conditions. It grows well in areas with accumulated temperatures of ≥10℃ and above 3000℃. When the accumulated temperature is less than 2500℃, it will produce less fruit. It starts to sprout when the active accumulated temperature is greater than 5℃. When it is above 10℃, the growth enters the peak season, and when it is above 16℃, it enters the flowering period. The fruit is mainly formed during the high temperature period of midsummer with an average temperature of more than 20℃. It is also highly resistant to salt and alkali, but it varies with the type of salt. It is more adaptable to sulfate soils and less resistant to chlorides. It can grow when the total salt content of sulfate soil is less than 1.5%, but it is not suitable for growth when the total salt content exceeds 0.4% on chloride soil. Elaeagnus angustifolia has well-developed lateral roots with large root widths. In loose soil, it can produce many nodules. The nitrogen-fixing rhizobia in it can also improve soil fertility and improve soil. The lateral branches have strong germination power, while the terminal buds grow weakly. The branches are dense and often form dense clusters. After the branches are buried in the sand, adventitious roots are easy to grow, which has the effect of preventing wind and fixing sand. In the Hexi Corridor area of ​​Gansu, the sap of Elaeagnus angustifolia begins to flow in late March, buds begin to sprout in mid-April, and enter the flowering period from the end of May to the beginning of June. The flowering period is about 3 weeks, young fruits appear in early July, fruits are formed in late August, and fruits mature in October. The fruiting period is about 100 days. The phenological period in Xinjiang and Ningxia is similar to that in the Hexi Corridor, and the phenological period in central Inner Mongolia is slightly later. Elaeagnus angustifolia has been selected and bred by the masses, and there are many excellent varieties.

Resource distribution of Elaeagnus angustifolia

Elaeagnus angustifolia (also known as osmanthus willow, fragrant willow, silver willow) is mainly distributed in the northwest provinces and western Inner Mongolia in my country.

Elaeagnus angustifolia (5 photos). A small amount is also distributed in the northern part of North China and the western part of Northeast China. It is roughly located north of 34 degrees north latitude. Natural Elaeagnus angustifolia forests are concentrated on the Tarim River and Manas River in Xinjiang, the Shule River in Gansu, and the banks of the Ejina River in Inner Mongolia. Some large deltas of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia (such as Lihua Zhongtan and Dazhongtan) are also distributed. Elaeagnus angustifolia forests on inland river banks are mostly sparse forests with a large area. There are more than 69,000 acres of Elaeagnus angustifolia forests in the Xihe Forest Area of ​​the Ejina River alone. Artificial Elaeagnus angustifolia forests are widely distributed in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and other provinces (regions). In particular, southern Xinjiang, the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, Zhongwei in Ningxia, Bayannur League and Alxa League in Inner Mongolia, and Yulin in Shaanxi have large areas of farmland shelterbelts and windbreak and sand-fixing forests built with Elaeagnus angustifolia. In recent years, Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Henan and other provinces have also introduced and cultivated it in sandy wasteland and saline-alkali land;

Plant morphology of Elaeagnus angustifolia

Elaeagnus angustifolia is a shrub or tree, 3 to 10 (15) meters high. The bark is chestnut brown to reddish brown, shiny, the trunk is often curved, the branches are dense, with branch thorns, the young branches, leaves, flowers and fruits are covered with silvery white scales and star-shaped hairs; the leaves are petiolate, lanceolate, 4 to 8 cm long, pointed or obtuse at the tip, cuneate at the base, entire, silvery gray-green above, silvery white below. The flowers are small, silvery white, fragrant, usually 1 to 3 flowers grow in the axils of small branches, the calyx is tubular and bell-shaped, and the top is usually 4-lobed. The fruit is oblong-elliptical, 1 cm in diameter, the flesh is powdery, the peel is silvery white in the early stage, and the scales fall off in the later stage, and it is yellow-brown or reddish brown.