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Silver Buffaloberry
Shepherdia argentea
  
About Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) 1 Nurseries Carry This Plant Silver Buffaloberry is a species in the Elaeaginaceae (Oleaster) family, an unusual group having only one genus with two species in California. Buffaloberry is native to central North America from southern Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) south in the United States to northern California and New Mexico. In California it is found in two disjunct populations, east of the Sierras in Inyo, Mono and Alpine Counties, and in the Transverse Range. It is typically found in wetlands within desert environments. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2-6 meter tall. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely alternately arranged), 2-6 centimeter long, oval with a rounded tip, green with a covering of fine silvery, silky hairs, more thickly silvery below than above. The flowers are pale yellow, with four sepals and no petals. The fruit is a bright red fleshy drupe 5 millimeters in diameter; it is edible but with a rather bitter taste, best left to the birds.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
6.6 - 20 ft tall
15 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Various insects, especially bees

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -25° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as sufficient moisture is provided. Soil PH: 7.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Bird Gardens

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Stratify 2-3 mos. (USDA Forest Service 1974); or soak in concentrated H2S04 20-30 mins. (Heit 1971). No treatment may also give satisfactory germination.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Stream edges and slopes in arid places

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.9" - 43.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.34" - 2.42", Coldest Month: 21.6" - 44.3", Hottest Month: 44.2" - 75.8", Humidity: 1.21" - 27.44", Elevation: 2181" - 11043"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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