East Asia
Deciduous shrub that can grow to 20 ft. in height; stems, buds and leaves have a dense covering of silvery to rusty scales. The leaves are alternate; deciduous; egg or lance-shaped, smooth margined, dull green above and often with brown scales beneath. Found from Maine to Virginia and west to Wisconsin in grasslands, fields, open woodlands and other disturbed areas. It is drought tolerant and thrives in a variety of soil and moisture conditions. Because autumn olive is capable of fixing nitrogen in its roots, it can grow on bare mineral substrates (NPS).
Autumn olive was introduced into the United States in 1830 and widely planted as an ornamental, for wildlife habitat, as windbreaks and to restore deforested and degraded lands (NPS)