Shepherdia rotundifolia
| Roundleaf buffaloberry | |
|---|---|
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| Roundleaf buffaloberry with flowerbuds in Grand Canyon National Park | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Elaeagnaceae |
| Genus: | Shepherdia |
| Species: | S. rotundifolia
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| Binomial name | |
| Shepherdia rotundifolia Parry
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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 produced 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
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Shepherdia rotundifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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.