Do not plant. Listed invasive in South Carolina.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
10CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC
Genus host records with ranges including SC · Elaeagnus
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
- Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
- Automeris ioIo Moth
- Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
- Pseudothyatira cymatophoroidesTufted Thyatirid
- Redectis vitreaWhite-Spotted Redactis
- Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Elaeagnus
- Alectoris chukarChukar
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Elaeagnaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 7a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Gray/silver or white
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Gray/silver or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 7a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “may reach 25 feet (7.6 m) tall” · Fire Effects Information System: Elaeagnus pungens · Source botanical description; original units and scope retained
- Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Autumn Olive; Thorny Olive
Conservation status
| South Carolina rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| SC status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Native alternatives
Find natives for your gardenSources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- sc_invasive
- South Carolina occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications