Shrub ID

[osage outlaw]

Does anybody know what this shrub is?  Is it good bow wood?  I have cut a couple small pieces of it and have them drying. 

[TRACY]

Don't have my glasses on but looks like autumn olive based on form and leaves that I have over here. Give it a go Clint

Forgot to say that I cut some for arrow shafts as well.

Tracy

[osage outlaw]

Thanks Tracy.  I just googled it.  I don't remember seeing any red berries on them.  I'll have to watch for them this fall. 

[Josh B]

Is it pretty thorny Clint?  Autumn Olive has alot of thorns.  Everywhere theres a twig coming off the branch, there's a thorn within a half inch or so.  If it is Autumn Olive, I tried it once last year and it didn't fair well in tension.  I have another piece to try  eventually.  Good luck, Josh

[osage outlaw]

I didn't notice any thorns on it Josh. 

[Josh B]

If it was Autumn Olive, you would have noticed.    It does resemble it otherwise. The leaves look a little like wild plumb as does the bark.  I'll Google it and check leaf arrangement. Josh

[Josh B]

I don't think its sand plum either.  Plum has alternate leaves and should be loaded with white flowers right now.  Sorry man, as usual, I'm no help id'ng plants.  Josh

[JW_Halverson]

I bet the underlying question is, "Is it bow wood?"   

[Pat B]

I was thinking Autumn Olive too.

[bubby]

quess we'll find out if it will make a bow when it's dry, I have a nice pc of oleander that's ready, gonna find out if it's a better bow wood than poplar, heck almost anything is better bow wood than poplar >:DBub

[wapiti1997]

Yes, that's autumn olive, aka russian olive..

[osage outlaw]

OK.  Thanks guys.  I guess I'll give it a try and see what happens.

[DarkSoul]

Yes, that's autumn olive, aka russian olive..

Autumn olive is NOT the same species as Russian olive. Both are in the same genus Elaeagnus, but different species.

Looking at some pictures online, it appears to match Autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata. The leaves are too broad for russian olive, and the lack of thorns is a good indicator as well. I think I can see some flower buds forming in the leaf axils, but hard to say from the picture. The bark matches autumn olive as well.

I don't know if autumn olive will make a bow, but I'm confident in the ID.
Leaving such a young, green stick in the round is not a smart idea, though. It can check within days or even hours. Reduce it a bit on one side, so any checks radiating from the pith will only form on this one side you've already reduced. Seal the ends and the back, and put it somewhere to dry slowly. I personally would have left the bark on such a stick.

[osage outlaw]

I left the bark on the other piece that I cut.  I figured I would try one each way and see what happens.  The ends are sealed and I'll try reducing the belly side when I get home.  The wood is very wet feeling.  Thanks for the info.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Id like to say its honeysuckle... but I know it isn't. the leaves are totally wrong.
Honeysuckle is a great bow wood IMO.
It is quite dense.
If this wood is dense, it will probably make a good bow.