Autumn Olive

Autumn Olive

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Elaeagnus umbellata
Elaeagnaceae (oleasters)

A medium to large, multistemmed shrub, often reaching heights of 20 feet.

The leaves, borne alternately on the stems, are generally oval, 1-3 inches long, wavy, and lack teeth. The upper surface of leaves is dark green to grayish-green, while the lower surface is covered with silvery white scales, a conspicuous characteristic that can be seen from a distance.

Flowers are small, light yellow, fragrant, borne in clusters along twigs, and bloom in late April and May. The outsides of the flowers have small, silvery scales.

Fruits are small (less than 1/4 inch), fleshy, juicy, start as yellowish and ripen from pink to red, with speckles. They are finely dotted with pale scales and are produced in abundance each year.

Height: to 20 feet; spread: 25 feet.
Habitat and conservation: 
This shrub grows in sand, loam or clay-based soils and prefers substrates with a neutral pH. It often grows in poor soils thanks to its nitrogen-fixing roots. It can grow in light shade but prefers full sun. It is drought tolerant and invades grasslands and sparse woodlands, though it is more prevalent in disturbed areas, pastures and fields. Autumn olive is rarely encountered in dense forests or in very wet sites.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Recorded in 32 Missouri counties, but due to extensive planting, it is probably present statewide. Also called Japanese silverberry.
Invasive. It was studied in the 1940s by the Soil Conservation Service, and the strain 'Cardinal' was released in 1963 for commercial propagation. In the eastern and central United States, autumn olive was planted to provide food and cover for wildlife, as screens, windbreaks and barriers along highways, to stabilize and revegetate road banks, and to reclaim mine spoil. For some years after planting the plant seems contained, but then it suddenly becomes invasive and difficult to control.
Life cycle: 
Plants flower and develop fruits annually after reaching 3 years of age, although 2-year-old plants have been known to flower. A single plant can produce up to 8 pounds of fruit. Seed dispersal appears to be mainly by falling fruit and by birds. Birds seem to be the primary vector for dispersal, although raccoons, skunks and opossums are also known to eat the fruit. This species is highly invasive and difficult to control. Burned, mowed or cut plants will resprout vigorously.
Human connections: 
Native to a great portion of the Asian continent, autumn olive has a long history as a human fruit plant and has been cultivated since 1830. Autumn olive’s invasive nature far outweighs any useful qualities, and its cultivation is strongly discouraged.
Ecosystem connections: 
This non-leguminous, nitrogen-fixing woody shrub can adversely affect the nitrogen cycle of the native communities that depend on infertile soils. These characteristics make it an aggressive and competitive threat to native species in open communities such as prairies, savannas and woodlands.
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