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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Elaeagnus commutata (Silverberry)
Weyand, Phyllis

Elaeagnus commutata

Elaeagnus commutata Bernh. ex Rydb.

Silverberry, American Silverberry, Wild Olive, Wolf Willow

Elaeagnaceae (Oleaster Family)

Synonym(s): Elaeagnus argentea

USDA Symbol: ELCO

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N)

An rounded, twiggy shrub, 1-15 ft. tall, with narrow, silvery-scurfy leaves on grayish-red branches. Small clusters of inconspicuous, cone-shaped flowers are spicily perfumed with a heavy, sweet scent. The fruit is a dry, mealy, whitish berry. This suckering shrub can form patches several yards in diameter.

Fast-growing, long-lived and resistant to disease and insect problems and drought. Transplants well, due to a shallow root system. A very hardy species for cold climates, sometimes used as a windbreak. (The non-native Russian Olive, E. angustifolia, is more extensively used for windbreaks and is becoming invasive.)

 

From the Image Gallery

6 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Fruit Type: Drupe
Size Notes: Up to about 15 feet tall.
Leaf: White-Gray

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AK , CO , ID , KY , MD , MN , MT , ND , RI , SD , TX , UT , WA , WY
Canada: AB , MB , NT , NU , ON , QC , SK , YT
Native Distribution: Que. to AK, s. to n.w. MN, n.c. SD, n.e. MT & in the Rockies to UT
Native Habitat: Waterways; gravel benches; prairie hillsides; dry clearings

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Well-drained, poor soils.
Conditions Comments: Fast-growing, long-lived and resistant to disease and insect problems and drought. Transplants well, due to a shallow root system. A very hardy species for cold climates, sometimes used as a windbreak. (The non-native Russian olive, E. angustifolia, is more extensively used for windbreaks and is becoming invasive.)

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Browsers eat the foliage and twigs.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes

Propagation

Description: Propagation is by layering, grafting, hardwood & root cuttings and by seed. Seed usually germinate the second spring. Suckers can be separated from parent plants in spring. Stratify seed for 2 to 3 months at 40C prior to sowing. Cutting, suckers. (Williams)
Seed Treatment: Seeds have a dual dormancy mechanism. A germination inhibitor is present in the seed coat, and the seeds will not germinate in the presence of light. The seed coat inhibitor can be leached by washing the seeds in warm water for 24 hours.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: UPL FAC FAC UPL UPL UPL UPL FAC
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Elaeagnus commutata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Elaeagnus commutata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Elaeagnus commutata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-07
Research By: TWC Staff

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