North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Brian Pearson <bjpearson@centurytel.net>]

> > Russian olive I see more in city yards (it usually looks terribly
>sick & unhappy.)
>
 Here in northeastern Wisconsin, it looks nice for a number of years, but
inevitably begins to decline (like Lombardi poplar) and dies, twig by twig
and then branch by branch from what I understand is a canker disorder. (BP)
>
    Not sure if I know how to
>identify the difference between the plants.
>
 Russian olive (Eleaegnus angustifolia) has leaves covered on both sides by
silver scales, and the fruits are yellow-brown or silvery, and mealy.
     Autumn olive (E. umbellata) has leaves often with brown scales
beneath, and the fruits are red-brown-to-pink, and juicy. (BP)
>>
>>Autumn olive is becoming a troublesome invasive exotic in some places.
>>Yes, the blossoms smell great, and the fruit is useful or at least helpful
>>to wildlife.   But it can take over !

I see a field full of umbellata on the way to the township waste disposal
site.  I've noticed that plants of this species usually are killed-back in
severe winters, but this population looks very, very healthy--perhaps a
much more hardy strain.  The problem of invasive exotics is becoming
alarming here, with buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) taking over our
woodlands in spots.  Add in honeysuckle shrubs (Lonicera) and you have a
BIG problem.  The water body Green Bay (an arm of Lake Michigan) is several
miles away--it is being transformed by exotic species.  Zebra mussels,
spiny water fleas,round gobies, European ruffe, rusty crayfish, etc., are
out-competing our native species, but, I fear, the worst is yet to come.
When Chinese big-headed carp, Asian grass carp, and Amur snakehead finally
are introduced and established, Lake Michigan's ecology will be totally
disrupted.  The end of the traditional Friday night fish fry of yellow
perch, or smelt (itself an introduced species), in Wisconsin is
near.....(BP)
>>
>>I wonder whether it is truly allelopathic.  It grows fast and forms a thick
>>canopy; I bet it simply robs other plants of water, nutrients, and light.

>Decades ago, I read an interesting paper regarding an experimental
>plantation of black walnut (Juglans nigra) in, perhaps, Indiana (my
>recollection is not clear on that), part of which was underplanted with
>umbellata.  Not only was umbellata not bothered by the allelopathic toxin,
>juglone, that the walnut releases from both its roots and fallen leaves,
>but the underplanted walnuts grew at twice (2x) the rate of those in the
>regular plantation. (BP)

Cheers,  Brian Pearson, northeastern WI (USDA Z4)
>>
>>
>
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