Side by side
Sea buckthorn or osier? How to tell them apart
Hippophae rhamnoides · Salix viminalis
How to tell them apart – sea buckthorn: thorny shrub with narrow, silvery-grey leaves and, in autumn, masses of orange berries packed along the branches; osier: silvery leaves, but no thorns and no berries.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Svdmolen assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides
.JPG){kind=link}
How do you recognise them?
- Sea buckthorn
- Thorny shrub with narrow, silvery-grey leaves and, in autumn, masses of orange berries packed along the branches.
- Osier
- Willow with very long, narrow leaves with a silvery, shiny underside, and long, pliable shoots.
- Compared with sea buckthorn: silvery leaves, but no thorns and no berries.
| Sea buckthorn | Osier | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 3–7 cm, linear; grey-green above, silvery-scaly below. | Alternate, 10–20 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, untoothed with a slightly rolled-under edge; underside covered in silky, silver-grey hairs. |
| Flowering | Inconspicuous greenish-brown flowers in March–April, before the leaves; separate male and female plants (March–April). | Catkins in March–April, before the leaves (March–April). |
| Fruit | Orange, sour berries (6–8 mm) crowded along the branches, rich in vitamin C; only on female plants. | Fluffy seeds in May. |
| Bark | Branches with sharp thorns; young twigs silvery brown. | Long, straight, pliable shoots, hairy at first, later glossy greenish-brown. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1–4 m | Shrub, 3–6 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, dry | Full sun, any garden soil, moist to wet |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | February–March | December–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
Read on
- Plant profile: Sea buckthorn
- Plant profile: Osier
- Sea buckthorn: when and how to prune
- Osier: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Osier or white willow
- Sea buckthorn or gorse
- Sea buckthorn or oleaster
- Sea buckthorn or tree groundsel
- Purple willow or osier
- Goat willow or osier
- Osier or creeping willow
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.