Scientific Name:
Elaeagnus pungens
Pronunciation:
ell-ee-AG-nus PUN-jenz
Common Name:
thorny elaeagnus, silverthorn
Family Name:
Elaeagnaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most elliptic, 8-10cm long x 4-5cm wide; flowers 5-8mm wide, 4 petal-like sepals, white with brown spots; weak thorns on older stems to 2cm long; variegated cultivars mostly with green margins (unlike E. x ebbingei 'Gilt Edge').
Habit:
Arching, Dense, Spreading, Upright
Form:
Mounded, Oval - horizontal
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
3 - 5m
Mature Spread:
4 - 5m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Espalier, Group or mass planting, Reclamation, Screening
Additional Info:
Google. Variegated cultivars shown may include E. 'Maculata'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish, Underside of leaves covered in silver and brown scales. Variegated cvs. are available.
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Undulate (wavy)
Additional Info:
Leaves variegated
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Corolla Shape:
Salverform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Four petal-like sepals
Fruit Type:
Achene, Drupe, Edible
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Not showy, Accessory tissue, Edible, A drupe-like fruit that is really an achene with swollen accessory tissue derived from the sepals
Bark or Stem Colour:
Additional Info:
Young branches coverd in brown scales
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, Root nodules (N-fixing), Thorns
Pest Susceptibility:
(Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- not used (on campus)
Location(s):
- (CGW) Community Garden West
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West