Thorny-Olive (Elaeagnus pungens)

Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Rhamnales>Elaeagnaceae>Elaeagnus pungens Thunberg

Other names: Silverthorn

Autumn-Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata var. parvifolia)
Thorny-Olive is an evergreen large shrub or small tree from Japan with thick, coriaceous leaves and spiny twigs.
Slightly less invasive, at present, than the noxious weed Autumn-Olive (E. umbellata).
Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.

Thorny-Olive blooms in the fall and fruit ripens in spring, the opposite of Autumn-Olive, which blooms in spring and fruits in the fall.
Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.
Autumn-Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata var. parvifolia)
Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.

Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.

The leaf undersides are scurfy, with rusty-brown and silvery scales.
Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.

Thorny-Olive (Elaeagnus pungens)
Carteret Co., NC 9/28/2008.

Bark detail.

More information:
Exotic Pest Plants of Southeastern Forests
Floridata

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina

cwcook@duke.edu

	Thorny-Olive is an evergreen large shrub or small tree from Japan with thick, coriaceous leaves and spiny twigs. Slightly less invasive, at present, than the noxious weed Autumn-Olive (E. umbellata). Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.
	Thorny-Olive blooms in the fall and fruit ripens in spring, the opposite of Autumn-Olive, which blooms in spring and fruits in the fall. Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.
	Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.
	Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.
	The leaf undersides are scurfy, with rusty-brown and silvery scales. Chapel Hill, NC 4/10/10.