Red Oleaster (elaeagnus umbellata) POINTILLA® AMBER®

Autumn Olive (Goumi) - Variety 'Pointilla® Amber®'

'Pointilla® Amber' is a modern, highly decorative, and productive variety of autumn olive that brings unconventional yellow-orange fruits to gardens. It is part of the innovative 'Pointilla®' series introduced to the market by the well-known Swiss breeding and nursery company Lubera® (trademark owner).

Autumn Olive 'Pointilla® Amber®'

This undemanding, drought-tolerant shrub not only provides delicious fruit full of vitamins, but thanks to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, it also acts as a natural soil improver.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Unconventional, highly decorative yellow-orange fruit color.
• Fresh, sweet-tart taste and high vitamin content.
• Absolute undemandingness to soil and high drought resistance.
• Improves soil quality (fixes nitrogen).
• High frost resistance.
• Intensely fragrant flowers (excellent bee forage plant).
• Ideal for free-growing hedges and windbreaks.

Origin and Breeding

• Botanical classification: Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). Also known as Goumi, Japanese Goumi, or Korean silver berry.
• Origin of species: East Asia (Japan, Korea, China), where it has historically been grown as a utility plant and soil-ameliorating shrub.
• Registration: 'Pointilla®' is a registered trademark of the Swiss company Lubera®, which groups selected, large-fruited, and tasty varieties of autumn olive under this name (besides the yellow 'Amber', there are also red varieties like 'Amoroso' or 'Sweet'n'sour').

Detailed variety description: Shrub and Growth

• Vigor: Medium to strong. At maturity, it reaches a height of 2 to 4 meters.
• Habit: Spreading, dense shrub. The leaves are characteristically silvery on the underside, giving the plant a high ornamental value.
• Blooming: Blooms in spring (May/June) with tiny, pale yellow to cream flowers. The flowers are extremely fragrant and are a massive attraction for bees and other pollinators.
• Pollination: The variety is cross-pollinated (or only very weakly self-pollinated). To achieve a good and abundant yield, it is strongly recommended to plant at least 2 plants (ideally different varieties from the Pointilla® series).

Fruits

• Size and shape: Tiny, spherical to slightly oval berries (resembling currants in size).
• Color: Attractive yellow-orange (unlike common red varieties). The surface of the berries is dotted with tiny silvery specks (hence the name of the "Pointilla" series).
• Taste: Fresh, sweet-tart. At full maturity, the taste is very pleasant, fruity, with a mild astringency that disappears once fully ripe.
• Composition: The fruits are exceptionally rich in vitamins (especially vitamin C, A, E), antioxidants, and lycopene.

Cultivation properties and characteristics

• Phenology:
  • Ripening: Late summer to autumn variety. Fruits typically ripen in September to October. Tip: For the best (sweetest) taste, it is important to let the fruits ripen completely on the shrub until they feel soft to the touch.
  • Use: Versatile. Excellent for direct fresh consumption, but also for processing – making jams, jellies, juices, and fruit wine.
• Resistance and requirements:
  • Frost resistance: Excellent. It is a fully frost-hardy perennial.
  • Soil and drought: Extremely undemanding. It tolerates drought exceptionally well and thrives even in poor, sandy, or stony soils. However, good permeability is required.
  • Location: Thrives best in full sun to partial shade.
  • Ecological function (Soil improver): Thanks to symbiosis with bacteria on its roots, it can fix atmospheric nitrogen and enrich the soil with it, thereby helping neighboring plants as well.
  • Use in the garden: Thanks to its dense growth and wind resistance, it is ideal for creating free-growing hedges or windbreaks.

Drawbacks of the variety:

• Cross-pollination (requires planting at least 2 plants for a good crop).
• Fruits are smaller (harvesting is more labor-intensive).
• Prematurely harvested fruits are tart (require patience for ripening).
• Vigorous growth may require regular pruning in small gardens.