Virginia Tech Dendrology

roundleaf buffaloberry Elaeagnaceae Shepherdia rotundifolia Parry symbol: SHRO
Leaf: Simple, alternate, evergreen, round, 1/2 to 1 inch long, with entire edges that curve strongly under (almost cupping), leathery, silvery green due to numerous silver-white scales, densely covered in white woolly scales below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; light yellow, inconspicuous, appearing in the spring.
Fruit: A gray red, drupe-like, juicy achene, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long and somewhat elongated, generally with a few silvery scales and woolly, ripen in mid to late summer and often occur in great abundance.
Twig: Slender and densely covered in silvery white wooly hairs and scales, buds likewise covered in scruffy wooly scales.
Bark: Smooth, light gray.
Form: A shrub to 4 feet in height with a dense round crown tightly packed with foliage.
Looks like: buffaloberry - Russian-olive - silverberry - autumn-olive

Additional Range Information: Shepherdia rotundifolia is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information