Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: East Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

Autumn olive is a vigorous deciduous shrub native to eastern Asia, once widely planted across North America for erosion control and wildlife habitat before being recognized as one of the continent's most aggressive invasive plants. Its prolific red berries contain up to 17 times more lycopene than tomatoes, and are readily spread by birds, allowing a single shrub to colonize vast areas.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Elaeagnaceae
Genus: Elaeagnus
Species: Elaeagnus umbellata