Shepherdia rotundifolia
| Shepherdia rotundifolia | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Elaeagnaceae |
| Genus: | Shepherdia |
| Species: | S. rotundifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Shepherdia rotundifolia Parry | |
Shepherdia rotundifolia (roundleaf buffaloberry, silverleaf) is a 3 to 6 feet (0.91 to 1.83 m) evergreen shrub in the oleaster family (Elaeagnaceae) that grows only in the Colorado Plateau (endemic) of the southwestern United States.[1]:97 The common name comes from western settlers using the cooked berries in a sauce for eating cooked buffalo meat.[1]:97
Leaves and stems
"Rotundifolia" is for the oval or egg-shaped leaves, which can vary to being lance shaped.[1]:97 They are 1⁄4 long, silvery green on top (hence the other common name), and hairy and pale on the bottom.[1]:97
Inflorescence and fruit
Flowers open from May to June and are yellowish.[1]:97 They are produces singly or in a cluster from leaf axils.[1]:97
Fruits are elliptical, with star-shaped hairs.[1]:97
Habitat and range
It grows in mixed desert shrub, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine forest communities as high as 7,800 feet (2,400 m) elevations.[1]:97