Russian Olive

Also known as Silver Berry, Oleaster, Wild Olive

Russian olive thrives in rugged, arid riparian corridors by hosting nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria in its root nodules, allowing it to colonize barren soils. In late spring, small clustered blossoms produce an intensely sweet, clove-like fragrance that carries across vast river floodplains. Originally planted for windbreaks and erosion control, its dense, thorny thickets now crowd out native cottonwoods and willows across much of western North America.