Silverthorn, Thorny Olive

Plant: Evergreen, bushy shrub with long limber projecting shoots, scattered thorny, 3-16 ft (1- 5 m) tall, densely leafy, leaves silver scaly beneath (above in spring). Often found as escaped single plants from animal-dispersed seeds.

Stem: Multiple and ascending (bushy), twigs brown and densely brown-scaly and hairy when young, short shoots with small leaves becoming sharp thorns 0.4-1.6 in (1-4 cm) long, thorns producing leafy lateral branches in second year, bearing flowers in fall, lateral branches distinctly long-limber and extending beyond bushy crown in late summer to spring and ascending into trees, bark dark drab and rough with branched or unbranched thorns.

Leaves: Alternate, oval to elliptic, 1.6-4 in (4-10 cm) long and 0.4-2 in (2-5 cm) wide, margins irregular and wavy, surfaces initially silver scaly becoming dark green or brownish-green above and densely silver scaly with scattered brown scales beneath, petioles 0.1-0.2 in (4-5 mm), long grooved above.

Flowers: Nov-Dec. Axillary clusters, 1-3 flowers, tubular with 4 lobes, silvery-white to brown, 0.4 in (1 cm) long, fragrant.