Sometimes invited guests overstay their welcome and take up too much space. This was the case with autumn olive, which was brought into the United States in 1830 and widely planted as an ornamental. It is still here today and considered an invasive weed. A variety of woody shrubs either look like the autumn olive or share its growth patterns. Meet the Autumn Olive Before we start a discussion of autumn olive lookalikes, let’s address more basic questions. What does autumn olive look like? Where does it grow in this country today? Read on to learn how to identify autumn olive. The autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is a woody shrub that usually doesn’t exceed 20 feet (6 m.) tall. It is deciduous, dropping its leaves in winter. Those leaves are attractive, green above but, on the underside, covered densely with silver red scales. They are oval or long and thin, […]
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