Red Oleaster (elaeagnus umbellata) POINTILLA® SWEET'N'TART®

Autumn Olive - Variety 'Pointilla® Sweet'n'tart®'

'Pointilla® Sweet'n'tart®' is a novelty in the assortment of utility and ornamental shrubs. This resilient and rustic plant is prized for its autumn edible berries, which are exceptionally rich in vitamins, lycopene, and essential fatty acids.

Autumn Olive 'Pointilla® Sweet'n'tart®'

It is an ideal choice for growers looking for an undemanding shrub with high nutritional value of the fruit.

Main advantages of the variety:

• High nutritional value of the fruit (vitamins, lycopene, essential fatty acids).
• Absolute undemandingness and rusticity (tolerant to drought, frost, and poor soils).
• Improves soil quality (fixes nitrogen).
• Intensely fragrant flowers (excellent bee forage plant).
• High ornamental value of the shrub.

Origin and Breeding

• Botanical classification: Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata).
• Classification: It is a new selection within the protected Pointilla® series (trademark of the Swiss company Lubera®).

Detailed variety description: Shrub and Growth

• Vigor: Strong and vital.
• Habit: Dense shrub. The leaves have a typical silvery underside, giving the plant high ornamental value.
• Blooming: Blooms in spring (May/June). The tiny flowers are exceptionally fragrant and attract numerous pollinators.
• Pollination: Like most autumn olive varieties, this one is most likely cross-pollinated. To ensure an abundant yield, it is strongly recommended to plant it together with another variety from the same series (e.g., 'Amoroso' or 'Amber').

Fruits

• Appearance: Tiny berries, typically dotted with silvery specks.
• Taste: The name 'Sweet'n'tart' indicates a dynamic flavor profile combining sweetness with refreshing acidity and a mild astringency (which disappears upon full ripeness).
• Composition (Key feature): The fruits are highly prized for their nutritional composition. They are rich in vitamins, lycopene (a powerful antioxidant), and essential fatty acids, which is a relatively rare and valuable trait in fruits.

Cultivation properties and characteristics

• Phenology:
  • Ripening: Autumn variety. Fruits typically ripen in September to October.
  • Use: Versatile. Thanks to their composition and taste, they are excellent for processing (jams, jellies, juices), but after full ripening on the shrub, also for direct consumption as a healthy snack.
• Resistance and requirements:
  • Resistance: The plant is rated as resilient and rustic. This means it tolerates adverse conditions and poor soils exceptionally well and requires no special care.
  • Frost resistance: Fully frost-hardy.
  • Soil and drought: Extremely undemanding. It tolerates drought exceptionally well and, thanks to symbiosis with soil bacteria, can fix atmospheric nitrogen, thereby fertilizing itself and improving the surrounding soil.

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 can be tart (require patience while ripening on the shrub).