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Montana Field Guides

Silver Buffaloberry - Shepherdia argentea

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Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S4
C-value: 4


Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:


 

External Links

 
General Description
Erect shrub 2–4 m. Stems with thorn-tipped side shoots; twigs white-mealy, becoming gray. Leaf blades oblanceolate, 2–4 cm long, white-mealy on both sides. Flowers: hypanthium mealy,1–3 mm long; sepals golden on the inside; male sepals ca. 0.5 mm long; female sepals ca. 1 mm long; Fruit ovoid, red, juicy, 5–7 mm long, edible (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Diagnostic Characteristics
Silver Buffaloberry - Shepherdia argentea, native and desirable:
* Shrubs with twigs that have white-mealy hairs (trichomes), becoming gray.
* Leaves are oppositely arranged, oblanceolate, and white-mealy below.
* Twigs have thorns.
* Fruits are orange to red, juicy berries.

Canada Buffaloberry - Shepherdia canadensis, native and desirable:
* Shrubs with twigs that have brown-mealy hairs (trichomes), becoming gray.
* Leaves are oppositely arranged, narrowly ovate, and brown-mealy below.
* Twigs lack thorns.
* Fruits are orange to red, juicy berries.

Russian Olive – Elaeagnus angustifolia, exotic, undesirable, and Regulated:
* Tall shrubs or small trees with twigs that have white-mealy hairs (trichomes), becomeing orange-brown.
* Leaves are alternately arranged, narrowly lanceolate, white-mealy above, and silvery below.
* Twigs have thorns.
* Fruits are silvery-green and dry (olive-like).

American Silverberry – Elaeagnus commutata, native and desirable:
* Shrubs with twigs that have white-mealy hairs (trichomes), becoming gray.
* Leaves are alternately arranged, ovate to elliptic, white-mealy above, and silvery below.
* Twigs lack thorns.
* Fruits are silvery-green and dry (olive-like).

Species Range
Montana Range Range Descriptions

Native
 


Range Comments
BC to MB south to CA, AZ, NM and NE (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 192

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat
Cool slopes in grasslands, riparian thickets, forests; plains (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).


References
  • Literature Cited AboveLegend:   View Online Publication
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
    • Tober, Dwight, Craig Stange, and Mike Knudson. 2006. Species Alternatives for Russian Olive in Conservation Plantings. Fact Sheet (Plant Materials), March. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation Service, North Dakota.
  • Additional ReferencesLegend:   View Online Publication
    Do you know of a citation we're missing?
    • Boggs, K. W. 1984. Succession in riparian communities of the lower Yellowstone River, Montana. M.S. Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman, 107 pp.
    • DuBois, K.L. 1979. An inventory of the avifauna in the Long Pines of Southeastern Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 113 p.
    • Eggers, M.J.S. 2005. Riparian vegetation of the Montana Yellowstone and cattle grazing impacts thereon. M.Sc. Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. 125 p.
    • Fritzen, D.E. 1995. Ecology and behavior of Mule Deer on the Rosebud Coal Mine, Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 143 p.
    • Glazier, R.J. 1971. Ecological and morphological relationships of subspecies of Peromyscus maniculatus near St. Mary, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 41 p.
    • Gobeille, J.E. 1992. The effect of fire on Merriams turkey brood habitat in southeastern Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 61 p.
    • Guenther, G.E. 1989. Ecological relationships of bitterbrush communities on the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 73 p.
    • Jones, W. W. 1901. Preliminary flora of Gallatin County. M.S. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State College. 78 pp.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
    • Little, E.L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agriculture Handbook No. 541. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 375 pp.
    • Nielsen, L.S. 1978. The effects of rest-rotation grazing on the distribution of Sharp-tailed Grouse. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 52 p.
    • Northrup, R.D. 1991. Sharp-tailed grouse habitat use during fall and winter on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 54 p.
    • Rauscher, R.L. 1995. Deer use of irrigated alfalfa along the Yellowstone River, Custer County, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 50 p.
    • Sater, S. 2022. The insects of Sevenmile Creek, a pictorial guide to their diversity and ecology. Undergraduate Thesis. Helena, MT: Carroll College. 242 p.
    • Seipel, T.F. 2006. Plant species diversity in the sagebrush steppe of Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 87 p.
    • Selting, J.P. 1994. Seasonal use of agricultural lands by Mule Deer, White-Tailed Deer, and Pronghorn Antelope in Carter County, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 66 p.
    • Wood, A.K. 1987. Ecology of a prairie mule deer population. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 205 p.
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Citation for data on this website:
Silver Buffaloberry — Shepherdia argentea.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from