wolf willow

Elaeagnus commutata

characteristics

A rounded, twiggy shrub with narrow, silvery, scurfy leaves on greyish-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 dense patches several meters in diameter.

Also called silverberry.

3,800 seeds/pound; starts from seed, bare root, cuttings.

habitat

Waterways, gravel benches, prairie hillsides, dry clearings.

uses

Browsers eat the foliage and twigs; jackrabbits like the top growth of this shrub in spring.