Silver buffaloberry

Shepherdia argentea

Deciduous thorny thicket-forming shrub or small tree up to 20 ft. tall with brown hard fruit and yellow male and inconspicuous female flowers, blooming April to August. Adapted to well-drained moist soils with some tolerance to poor drainage, occurring on moist prairies, riparian areas, wet meadows, floodplains, shorelines and springs within woodlands, shrublands and short and mixed-grass prairies; 1,000 to 8,000 ft. elevation. Sprouts from the root crown and from rhizomes after disturbance and wildfire. Fixes nitrogen. Preferred cover and nesting habitat for numerous birds and small mammals. Poor palatability to livestock but valuable browse for mule deer and pronghorn; also utilized by elk. Fruit is eaten by bears, small mammals and birds, including sharp-tailed grouse. Pollinated by honeybees and numerous native bees. Caterpillar host of the Columbia silkmoth.