The autumn olive, elaegnus umbellate, is native to China, Japan, and Korea and was introduced to the United States in the mid 1800s. It is a deciduous tree or shrub that grows up to 20 feet high and 30 feet wide. In the 1950s it was promoted throughout the states to control erosion, and as a wildlife habitat. It was once used to help refoliate areas that were stripped bare due to mining and other environmental disturbances. Now, it is considered an alien invasive species.
Natural Cancer Prevention
With as much as 15-18 times the amount of lycopene found in tomatoes, autumn berries are being touted as one of the best cancer preventative natural medicines. (The autumn berry has 40 to 50 mg/100g of lycopene compared to 3 mg/100g for a fresh raw tomato and 10 mg/100g for canned whole tomatoes.) The carotenoid is thought to be helpful in the prevention of heart disease, muscular degenerative disease, bladder, breast, gastrointestinal, cervix, mouth, throat, lung, prostate and skin cancers. The berries also contain vitamins A,C, E, flavonoids and essential fatty acids.
Very versatile, the small, single-seeded, red speckled berries can be made into jams and preserves, fruit leather can be made from the dehydrated pulp, and when cooked down it can be made into syrup, paste, or sauce (like tomatoes).
Identification and Harvesting
The leaves are easily identified by their silvery color, especially the underside. The fragrant flowers of the autumn olive blossom from April to June. The berries ripen by mid autumn, thus the name autumn berries. Unripe fruit has a very high tannin content and is very astringent. Note: The red color often develops before the fruit is fully ripe, so beware of picking unripened fruits. The tannins and acids decrease during ripening and the sugar content increases. They are reportedly at their best for picking and eating right after the first frost. The berries can be eaten raw, cooked, or distilled and made into wine.
Beneficial to Other Trees and Soil
The autumn olive reproduces quickly and easily and can grow even under the poorest soil conditions thus making it quite hardy and allowing it to crowd out and sometimes replace native plant species. The shrubs add nitrogen to the soil, however, and may be beneficial to other trees such as black walnut trees. When planted in groves with black walnuts, they seem to help increase the height and width of the walnut trees and decrease the presence of certain diseases that walnuts are usually susceptible to such as mycosphaerella leaf spot.
Some authorities suggest eradicating the autumn olives as they do pose a threat to other native plant species, while others insist that their benefits at least warrant further studies and possible solutions such as cultivation and farming. It is thought by many to have great potential as a valuable cash crop.
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