Shrubs - Eleagnus (Autumn Olive)
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  In mid-spring, as I was picking dewberries, I ran across these fruit. Then the fruit were small and kind of a rust color. The other day, I went back to see what they looked like. I would love to know what they are. Are they edible? They are lovely red berries, as you can see.

  The plant in question is Autumn olive, Eleagnus umbellata. The foliage is bright green above, and silvery beneath. This species of eleagnus was introduced by the Soil Conservation Service for conservation purposes. It fruits heavily, with the red berries almost encircling the stem. Birds love it, and the flowers smell heavenly in the spring. I have been told the fruits are edible, but I have never tried them.

  We have some large shrubs around our house. I recently noticed a silvery white appearance on the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. It is worse on the newer foliage and the underside of all the leaves. There are also small brown specks on the leaves and stems. Can you tell me what this is and what to do about it. I have enclosed a sample for you to see.

  You have nothing to worry about, what you have is perfectly natural for this plant. The plant in question is Elaeagnus. It is commonly called silver leaf, because of the silvery underside to the foliage. The brown scaly growth that appears on the leaves and stems is also a natural feature of this plant. It makes a good screen or hedge, but does have the tendency to send up "wild hairs" from time to time, which can make the plant look rather unkempt.

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