Wolf-willow
Elaeagnus commutata
- Plant Type
- Shrub (Deciduous)
- Landscape Layer
- Shrub
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
- Moisture
- 🏜️ Dry
- Soil
- Loam, Sand, Silt, Calcareous
- Bloom
- June, July
- Sociability
- S2 – Small groups
Pollinator Value
- 🐛 Larval Host
- Coleophora elaeagnisella, Hyalophora columbia
S14 Nearctic host records only; 3 additional species from Finland excluded
- ❄️ Winter Food Source
- Silvery drupes persist into fall and early winter, providing food for birds. Chukar (Alectoris chukar) recorded consuming Elaeagnus fruit at 12.5% diet occurrence. The fleshy fruits are also consumed by small mammals.
Ecology & Conservation
- Proximity Score
- 0
- Native Status
- ✅ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
- Closest Direction
- Local
- CEC Eco-Regions
- 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
- Rarity Notes
- Ranked S3 (Vulnerable) in Quebec where it occurs at the eastern limit of its predominantly western range. Quebec populations are concentrated in the Temiscamingue region with scattered occurrences on calcareous substrates along the Gatineau River and St. Lawrence corridor. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Globally secure (G5) with an IUCN status of Least Concern.
- Rarity Ranks
- QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S4 – Apparently Secure
- Migration
- Stable
- Ecological Context
- A clonal, nitrogen-fixing shrub of dry calcareous slopes, stream banks, gravel benches, and prairie hillsides. In Quebec, known primarily from the Temiscamingue region and scattered limestone-influenced sites along the Gatineau River and St. Lawrence corridor. Forms colonies on sandy or rocky substrates via root suckers. Associates with open pine woodlands on marble outcrops (with Comptonia peregrina, Shepherdia canadensis) and sandy shorelines. S3 (Vulnerable) in Quebec, reflecting its disjunct, relictual distribution at the eastern edge of its range.
Permaculture & Companion Planting
- Roles
- Fire Retardant, Nitrogen Fixer, Nurse Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = Medium (not definitional)] | Nitrogen Fixer: S73 [HIGH]: S11 classified (S53 no signal, not contradictory)] | Nurse Plant: S72 Hemenway (tables: , pp. 105)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 6 bee associations (threshold=3)]
- Notes
- An excellent nitrogen-fixing companion plant for orchards and food forests. PFAF reports it can increase fruit tree yields by up to 10% when grown as a companion hedge. Listed as a nurse plant in Hemenway's Gaia's Garden. Its shallow, spreading root system and nitrogen-fixing nodules enrich surrounding soil. Tolerates poor, dry soils and exposed positions, making it valuable as a sheltering nurse shrub for establishing plantings on marginal sites.
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
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ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Dermatological Aid, Pediatric Aid, Venereal Aid
S28 Moerman categories: Drug (Dermatological Aid, Pediatric Aid), Medicine (VD treatment)
- Notes
- Blackfoot used a strong decoction of bark mixed with grease as a salve for children with frostbite. A decoction of roots combined with sumac (Rhus spp.) roots was used to treat syphilis, though this preparation was considered very poisonous and potentially sterilizing. PFAF notes the fruit is rich in vitamins A, C, and E, flavonoids, and essential fatty acids, with ongoing investigation into cancer-reducing properties.
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →
ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →✅ Edible
- Foraging Notes
- Fruit eaten raw or cooked by numerous Indigenous peoples including Blackfoot, Cree, Okanagan-Colville, and Upper Tanana. Berries are dry and mealy, improved by cooking in soups and broths or frying in grease. Blackfoot peeled berries and mixed them with grease as a confection. Cree made wine from the berries. Seeds also edible but fibrous. Fruit is a good source of ascorbic acid (100-725 ppm) and contains beta-carotene, calcium, iron, niacin, and thiamin.
- Toxicity
-
⚠️ Moderate Toxicity
Not listed in Cornell poisonous plants database. USDA Toxicity rated None. PFAF reports no known hazards. However, Moerman notes that a root decoction used medicinally for syphilis was considered very poisonous and potentially sterilizing, suggesting caution with concentrated root preparations.
Seed Source
- Oak Summit Nursery