Autumn Olive AKA Elaeagnus umbellate & Russian Olive      Elaeagnus augustifolia 

Autumn olive and Russian olive are both hardy branching shrubs that grow in a form that resembles bush honeysuckle.  All of these shrubs produce a profusion of berries. Bush honeysuckle, autumn and Russian olive are all considered invasive, but should you wish to identify them, an easy way to tell the "olive" shrubs apart from bush honeysuckle is to examine a branch.  The bush honeysuckle has leaves that grow in opposite fashion, directly across from each other along the stem.  Both the Russian Olive, native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Autumn Olive, native to China, Japan and Korea, have leaves that grow in alternate fashion along their stems.  If you snip a stem or branch from any honeysuckle, you will find a tiny hole in the center of the branch.  The branch of a honeysuckle shrub has a very narrow hollow portion in the center.  

Russian Olive was introduced in the early 1900's and Autumn Olive a bit earlier around 1830. Both were imported for their value as a wildlife habitat, as well as for erosion control, and their ornamental appeal.  The two "olives", which are technically not olives at all, readily escaped cultivation.  At this point they have both been declared an invasive species over most of North America and Europe. Positive identification of which "olive" species you are dealing with does not really matter because elimination strategies for either plant are similar.  In fact, the plants themselves have more similarities than differences.  For the sake of accuracy though, you can tell the two apart most easily when the shrub is in either its flowering or fruiting stage.  Autumn Olive has white or creamy yellow flowers.  When the fruit is mature it is red with silvery speckles or scales on its skin.  The Russian Olive has brighter yellow flowers and a fruit that is more yellow orange with silver speckles when mature.  Other more subtle differences are in the shape of the leaves, with the leaves of Russian Olive narrower in form than those of the Autumn Olive.  Russian Olive foliage appears more silvery due to the fine fuzz like hairs on both the top and bottom sides of the leaves whereas Autumn Olive has fuzz primarily on the underside of the leaves.  Both of the shrubs have thorns but they are fewer in number on Autumn olives.  Both bear abundant fruit which is edible and nutritious for birds, wild animals and, when the fruit is fully ripened, people as well.  The fruit of either variety is usually fully ripened by October.  Autumn Olive fruit will be bright red with silvery specks.  It usually gets sweeter after a frost and it remains on the shrub through November.  The fruit of Russian olive may not have as desirable a flavor or texture.  If you intend to eat this fruit please be certain you have made a positive identification.  Do not confuse the plant with bush honeysuckle as that fruit considered toxic for human consumption.  If these plants provide such an abundant food source, why should we attempt to eliminate them?  The thing is with their rapid growth and prolific seed production they out-compete many native plants.  They also have the ability to increase the nitrogen level in the soil in their vicinity.  The increased nitrogen level benefits autumn or Russian olive, but other plants that are native to our region may not find all that nitrogen beneficial.  

HOW TO REMOVE

If you happen to have them, goats really like to forage this plant.  They also love Multiflora Rose, and a variety of other invasive species.  If you allow goats to consume Autumn or Russian Olive plants while adding other non-invasive forage options, eventually the alternative forage options will crowd out the Autumn or Russian Olive eliminating those invasive plants.  If you are not fortunate enough to own goats, hand pulling of small plants is recommended.  This is best done after a good soaking rain which softens the soil allowing the roots to be pulled more easily.  Try to remove the entire root system as this plant may regrow from fragments left behind.   Repeated cutting of shrubs will eventually deplete the root system, but you need to be vigilant, continually cutting back regrowth.

During their active growing season, especially during the later part of their growing season when the crown of the plant is passing nutrients back down to the roots, the shrub should be cut as low to the ground as possible.  Follow up with an herbicide application to the cut stump to prevent regrowth.  Triclopyr is the preferred herbicide to use to eliminate this plant.  It should be used in its undiluted form for the cut stump treatment.  Another method for herbicide application is to prune the shrub back to a lower level and use triclopyr as a foliar spray when the plant resprouts and has fully formed leaves.  The leaves are what take in the poison.  Cutting the plant back first allows for the use of less herbicide during foliar application and it also makes it easier to reach all parts of the plant with the spray.  Be sure to follow the dilution instructions and all other instructions on the product's container.  Always wear protective clothing, and spray herbicide on a calm day.