autumn olive
(Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb.)

Overview

Appearance

Elaeagnus umbellata is a deciduous shrub from 3-20 ft. (0.9-6.1 m) in height with thorny branches. It is easily recognized by the silvery, dotted underside of the leaves.

Foliage

Leaves are alternate, 2-3 in. (5-8 cm) long and 1 in. (2.5 cm) wide. The margins are entire and undulate. Leaves are bright green to gray green above and silver scaly beneath with short petioles.

Flowers

Small, yellowish tubular flowers are abundant and occur in clusters of 5 to 10 near the stems from February to June.

Fruit

Fruits are round, red, juicy drupes which are finely dotted with silvery to silvery-brown scales. Each drupe contains one seed. Fruits ripen from August to November.

Ecological Threat

Elaeagnus umbellata invades old fields, woodland edges, and other disturbed areas. It can form a dense shrub layer which displaces native species and closes open areas. Elaeagnus umbellata is native to China and Japan and was introduced into North America in 1830. Since then, it has been widely planted for wildlife habitat, mine reclamation, and shelterbelts. It is a non-leguminous nitrogen fixer.

Resources

• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
• Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
• Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
• Fire Effects Information System - USDA Forest Service
• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• Alabama Invasive Plant Council
• Alberta Weed Control Act
• Apalachicola Invasive Working Group
• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
• Connecticut Invasive Plant List
• Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
• Connecticut Noxious Weeds
• Delaware Invasive Species Council
• Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
• Florida Invasive Plant Council - Plant List - Category II
• Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 1
• Illinois Exotic Weed Act
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
• Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• Invasive Species of Concern in Georgia
• Iowa Forest Invasive Plants
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
• Maine Invasive Plants
• Maryland Cooperative Extension Service.  2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
• Maryland Department of Agriculture's Candidates for Listing of Invasive Plants
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
• Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
• Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group List
• Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
• Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List
• Michigan’s Prohibited and Restricted Species
• Missouri SRISP Species List
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
• New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture,  Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
• New Hampshire Prohibited Invasive Species
• New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
• New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Ohio Invasive Species Council
• Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
• Reichard, Sarah. 1994.  Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
• Rhode Island Natural History Survey
• South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council
• South Carolina Plant Pest List
• Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
• Tennessee Noxious Weeds
• Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Department of Agriculture Regulations Governing the Distribution of Plant Materials
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
• West Virginia Noxious Weeds
• Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
• Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40

References