Credit:
Credit:
To learn more about the map elements, please download the "Pan-European strategy for genetic conservation of forest trees"
This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
Caudullo, Giovanni; Welk, Erik; San-Miguel-Ayanz, Jesús (2017). Chorological maps and data for the main European woody species. figshare. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2918528
The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:
Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
Status of Hippophae rhamnoides conservation in Europe
Sea buckthorn has high genetic diversity across Europe and Asia due to its wide distribution and presence in diverse habitats. Latvian and Romanian studies show high levels of polymorphism and heterozygosity and high diversity in alleles, reflecting mixed origins from cultivars, distant provenances, and hybrids (Alexandra et al., 2012; Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014).
Most genetic variation is found within populations, typical for outcrossing, wind-pollinated species, although significant genetic differentiation exists between populations, such as between cultivated and wild varieties and areas where multiple origins are mixed (Alexandra et al., 2012; Letchamo et al., 2018). Careful and well managed clonal propagation in cultivation plus effective pollen flow helps maintain diversity for sea buckthorn populations in Europe even when they are isolated by conserving vulnerable populations (Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014; Letchamo et al., 2018).
Sea buckthorn’s genetic structure is heavily influenced by geography, ecology, and human cultivation and by the presence of subspecies and locally adapted varieties (Letchamo et al., 2018). Populations are often genetically separated between cultivated and wild varieties. This is the case in Latvian populations, which show genetic differences because of different origins from separate cultivars (Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014). This shows the potentially diverse and complex genetic distribution of the species in Europe (Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014). Within Latvia, Russian material was often grouped into genetically distinct clusters reflecting varied breeding origins (Melnikova et al., 2025). Romanian populations clustered into two main genetic groups, with differences driven in part by the number of cultivated varieties present (Alexandra et al., 2012).
Populations of sea buckthorn from similar elevations tend to be genetically similar (Alexandra et al., 2012). Overall, the genetic structure of sea buckthorn populations in Europe has limited large-scale genetic differentiation because gene flow remains high between populations (Letchamo et al., 2018).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2025.
Sea buckthorn is widely cultivated across Europe and Asia. This has strongly shaped its genetic diversity and distribution in Europe, although most cultivation is in China (Melnikova et al., 2025). Cultivation and breeding are driven by interest in sea buckthorn’s nutrient-rich fruit, which has resulted in the creation of many varieties and crosses (Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014). Geographically distant cultivars are often crossed, generating high allelic richness but diluting the genetic profile of local varieties (Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014).
Human planting and cultivar introductions have extended sea buckthorn’s range and created cultivated gene pools that are often genetically distinct from wild populations; the latter remain fragmented by habitat loss and land-use change (Letchamo et al., 2018). Despite widespread cultivation and breeding, genetic resources and DNA markers are still limited, making identification of morphological traits difficult and reducing the efficiency of breeding programmes (Melnikova et al., 2025).
Sea buckthorn has survived in Europe through major climatic fluctuations including the Pleistocene glaciations. It has experienced at least four major episodes of population growth, all within about the last 40 000 years (Bartish, Kadereit, and Comes, 2006). After glacial periods, sea buckthorn was able to recolonize Europe from southern refugia in the Balkans, Caucasus, and Central Asia, which has shaped the current genetic structure of sea buckthorn in Europe (Letchamo et al., 2018). Refugia in south-eastern Europe are the sources of colonization for sea buckthorn into central Europe and Scandinavia, with contact zones north of the Alps between populations from the Alps and the east/central European Scandinavian lineage (Bartish, Kadereit, and Comes, 2006).
Despite widespread recolonization on postglacial raw soils in central and northern Europe, reforestation restricted populations of sea buckthorn to northern coastal habitats or along mountain streams in the Alps, Pyrenees, and Carpathians during the Holocene (Bartish, Kadereit, and Comes, 2006).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2025.
Habitat loss and fragmentation are a potential threat to sea buckthorn, especially in western Europe (Letchamo et al., 2018). Introgression from cultivars and long-distance introductions complicates local genetic patterns and can erode wild genotypes (Alexandra et al., 2012; Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014). Knowledge gaps and limited research also make management of genetic threats difficult (Melnikova et al., 2025).
Most research and management currently prioritize commercial breeding and fruit production (Lācis & Kota-Dombrovska, 2014; Melnikova et al., 2025). Conservation actions include the protection and restoration of wild habitats, establishment of ex situ collections, and limiting the planting of non-local cultivars near wild populations. Research into DNA markers for breeding could assist knowledge on the population status of the species and inform conservation management.
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2025.
Genetic Characterisation of Hippophae rhamnoides and its GCUs
Availability of FRM
FOREMATIS
Further reading
Bartish, I.V., Jeppsson, S., and Nybom, H. 1999. Population genetic structure in the dioecious pioneer plant species Hippophae rhamnoides investigated by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Molecular Ecology, 8(5): 791–802. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294X.1999.00631.x
References
Alexandra, S.G., Ecaterina, T., Nicoleta, C., Georgiana, D.C., Camelia, P., Ecaterina, R.V., Luminita, R., and Veronica, S. 2012. The assessment of the genetic diversity of sea buckthorn populations from Romania using RAPD markers. Romanian Biotechnology Letters, 17(6): 7749–7756.
Bartish, I.V., Kadereit, J.W., and Comes, H.P. 2006. Late Quaternary history of Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Elaeagnaceae) inferred from chalcone synthase intron (Chsi) sequences and chloroplast DNA variation. Molecular Ecology, 15(13): 4065–4083. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03079.x
Lācis, G. and Kota-Dombrovska, I. 2014. Assessment of genetic diversity of Latvian sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) germplasm using molecular markers. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 101(3): 333–340. https://doi.org/10.13080/z-a.2014.101.043
Letchamo, W., Ozturk, M., Altay, V., Musayev, M., Mamedov, N.A., and Hakeem, K.R. 2018. An alternative potential natural genetic resource: Sea buckthorn [Elaeagnus rhamnoides (syn.: Hippophae rhamnoides)]. In: M. Ozturk, K. Hakeem, M. Ashraf, and M. Ahmad, eds. Global perspectives on underutilized crops, pp. 25–82. Cham, Switzerland, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77776-4_2
Melnikova, N.V., Arkhipov, A.A., Zubarev, Y.A., Novakovskiy, R.O., Turba, A.A., Pushkova, E.N., Zhernova, D.A., Mazina, A.S., Dvorianinova, E.M., Sigova, E.A., and Krasnov, G.S. 2025. Genetic diversity of Hippophae rhamnoides varieties with different fruit characteristics based on whole-genome sequencing. Frontiers in Plant Science, 16: 1542552. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1542552
If you notice any error in the contents of this species page, please contact euforgen@efi.int
See details
Designed by Newtvision
