Goumi

Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora) is a nitrogen-fixing shrub, not native to North America but well adapted there without becoming invasive. Two of its most widely available cultivars, Sweet Scarlet and Red Gem, were both genuinely selected at the Main Botanic Garden in Kiev, Ukraine — a real, specific, documented origin for two of the most commonly sold Goumi varieties in the US nursery trade today, with Sweet Scarlet noted by growers as reliably self-fertile and heavy-bearing, and Red Gem producing smaller, more tart fruit by comparison. A separate dwarf cultivar, Jahidka, has been specifically bred for a compact, bonsai-suited form. The fruit itself is small, red, and speckled, with a sweet-tart flavor.