Elaeagnus angustifolia (ee-lee-ag’-nus an-gus-ti-fo’-lee-ah)
Family: Elaeagnaceae, Oleaster
Key Steps
- 1b – Alternate leaf arrangement — go to 18
- 18a – Leaf simple — go to 19
- 19a – Thorns on stems — go to 20
- 20a – Leaf margins entire — Russian Olive
- 19a – Thorns on stems — go to 20
- 18a – Leaf simple — go to 19
Description
Leaf: Long, narrow. Smooth margin. Pale gray-green color. Scaly, silvery above and on petiole.
Bud: Small, round, 4 exposed scales covered with silvery, scaly, short hairs.
Leaf Scar: Half round, tiny. One bundle scar.
Stem: Long, sharp thorns. Slender stem, shiny brown or covered with silver-green, short hairs.
Bark: Shiny brown, shreddy with age.
Pith: Small, round, continuous brown.
Flower: 1-3 blossoms in leaf axils along new stem growth. May and June. Fragrant. Outer silver scales, inner yellow.
Fruit: May persist. Usually a creamy-yellow color. If salmon-colored, plant could be Autumn Olive, E. umbellata. Fruit is on very short stalk.
Habit: Suckers profusely at base. Can form a thicket if allowed to spread. 25 feet by 20 feet, round, irregular shape.
Culture: A Colorado noxious weed. Invasive in riparian areas.
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