The fast-growing shrub or small tree known as Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is common across many landscapes. Identifying this deciduous woody plant relies on recognizing its distinct visual traits throughout the year. Its physical characteristics, from its general silhouette to the microscopic scales on its leaves and fruit, provide a unique signature for identification.
Overall Structure and Growth Habit
Autumn Olive typically presents as a dense, multi-stemmed shrub, though it can mature into a small, single-trunked tree. It is a rapidly growing plant that commonly reaches heights of 10 to 20 feet, often spreading wider than it is tall, sometimes up to 30 feet across. This expansive growth contributes to a broad, often rounded or vase-like silhouette.
The branching pattern is usually irregular and spreading, forming a thicket-like presence in open areas. The bark on older stems is light gray to gray-brown and may become slightly furrowed with age. It sheds its leaves in the late fall but often leafs out earlier in the spring compared to many native species.
Key Features of Leaves and Stems
The distinctive appearance of its foliage is the most reliable identifying feature of Autumn Olive. Leaves are arranged alternately along the stems and are simple, typically oval to oblong or lance-shaped, measuring between two and four inches long. The margins are entire, meaning they are smooth, though they often appear slightly wavy.
The upper surface is a dull green or grayish-green. However, the underside is dramatically different, covered in a dense layer of minute, specialized lepidote scales. These scales are silvery-white, sometimes mixed with rusty-brown, giving the leaf underside a striking metallic or shimmery appearance.
This silvery coating also covers the plant’s stems and young twigs. New growth is often noticeably silvery or golden-brown due to the scales, creating a speckled or dusty look. While not a true thorny plant, some twigs and branches may develop sharp, thorn-like projections one to three inches long. The combination of the dull green topside and the highly reflective, scaled underside of the leaf is a primary visual indicator.
Seasonal Identification: Flowers and Fruit
The seasonal markers of Autumn Olive provide specific identification points, beginning with its abundant flowering period. Small, tubular flowers appear in clusters of one to eight along the stems in late spring or early summer, typically between April and June. These tiny blooms are pale yellow to creamy white and possess a highly fragrant, sweet scent that is easily detectable.
The flowers lack obvious petals, instead featuring a trumpet-shaped calyx with four small lobes at the tip. These clusters of small, fragrant flowers are quickly followed by the development of the fruit. The fruit is a fleshy, pea-sized drupe, usually measuring about a quarter to a third of an inch in diameter.
The fruit starts as a silvery or brownish-scaled sphere. As it ripens in late summer or fall, it transitions to a vibrant red or reddish-pink color. The mature red fruit retains the distinct covering of tiny silver or brown scales, creating a finely speckled, dusty, or metallic sheen on the surface. This speckling on the small, round, red fruit is a unique and definitive trait that helps distinguish Autumn Olive from other red-berried shrubs.