Elaeagnus pungens
thorny olive, thorny elaegnus
Family
Elaeagnaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
undulate
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
elliptic, lanceolate, ovate
Growth Form
shrub
Flower Color
white
Flower Month
March, April, October, November
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
perennial
Field Characters
A shrub with simple, alternate, entire, leaves that are glabrous light-olive above and rough, creamy colored below, all with conspicuous rusty-brown dots. The twigs are rough to the touch.
Animal Use
Fruit is widely used by most upland game birds and many song birds, mammals such as raccoon, opossum, black bears; good escape cover; Common ornamental; naturalized and may be a pest in some regions.
Habitat
Rare escape from cultivation.