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Wolf-Willow

Elaeagnus commutata

Wolf-Willow

APPEARANCE

Wolf-willow has smooth, silvery leaves up to one centimetre long, and grows up to four metres tall with its twigs covered in rusty-brown scales. It has trumpet-shaped yellow flowers, and silvery berries.

RANGE & HABITAT

This shrub is found in mountainous areas on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, and in northern B.C.. It likes dry sandbars, roadsides and the edge of meadows. It spreads quickly in areas disturbed by floods, landslides and development.

LIFE CYCLE

The yellow flowers ripen into silvery berries, one centimetre long, with a single seed inside each one. Some birds are attracted to the seeds, and help to spread them.

ANIMAL USES

Wolf-willow is important food for moose and elk in the wintertime. A few birds eat the seeds, and the shrubs provide good cover and protection for moose, deer, birds and other animals.

TRADITIONAL USES BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

The silver berries can be strung together to make necklaces, and the bark woven into bags, baskets, blankets and rope. In Alaska, the fruits are cooked in moose fat and eaten.

OTHER USES

Wolf-willow is a common ornamental tree in dry and rock gardens.

STATUS

COSEWIC: Not at Risk
CDC: Yellow

MORE INFORMATION

www.naturewatch.ca

Photo: Bob Pruner