Common Names: Thorny Elaeagnus, Spotted Elaeagnus, Silverthorn, Thorny Olive
Range: From Louisiana to Kentucky and east
Status: non-native (native to E. Asia), invasive
Wetland Indicator Status: N/A
Habitat: upland areas, tolerates poor soil and clay, dislikes very alkaline soils, tolerates maritime conditions
Other: nitrogen fixing with root nodules, good hedge plant
Description: Flowers cream colored, borne from leaf axils, pubescent sepals, bell-shaped with four petals, sweet fragrance, 3/8 to 1/2 in., blooms in late fall; Leaves alternate, 1/2 to 4 in. long, green and speckled above, pale below, thick, evergreen, oval to lanceolate in shape, margins entire or wavy; Berries red and speckled with brown, 1/2 to 3/4 in. long, matures in spring; Stems appear smooth but are rough, cinnamon brown in color, often sends out leafless to sparse leafed branches that appear to have thorns but are short twigs, can climb on nearby vegetation
Edibility: fruit is edible but not desirable
References:
http://www.floridata.com/ref/E/elaeag_p.cfm
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ELPU2
http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=4526
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Elaeagnus+pungens
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