Shepherdia rotundifolia
| Roundleaf buffaloberry | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Roundleaf buffaloberry with flowerbuds in Grand Canyon National Park | |
| 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, the roundleaf buffaloberry[1] or silverleaf, is a 3-to-6-foot (1-to-2-meter) evergreen shrub in the oleaster family (Elaeagnaceae) that grows only in the Colorado Plateau (endemic) of the southwestern United States.[2]:97 The common name comes from western settlers using the cooked berries in a sauce for eating cooked buffalo meat.[2]:97
Leaves and stems
"Rotundifolia" is for the oval or egg-shaped leaves, which can vary to being lance shaped.[2]:97 They are 1⁄4 to 1 1⁄2 inches (6 to 38 mm) long, silvery green on top (hence the other common name), and hairy and pale on the bottom.[2]:97
Inflorescence and fruit
Flowers open from May to June and are yellowish.[2]:97 They are produces singly or in a cluster from leaf axils.[2]:97
Fruits are elliptical, with star-shaped hairs.[2]: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.[2]:97
References
- ↑ "Shepherdia rotundifolia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fagan, Damian (2012). Canyon Country Wildflowers (2 ed.). Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association. ISBN 978-0-7627-7013-7.