Shrubs

Many of our species are produced from MITOSIS seed. MITOSIS is the Montana Interagency Tree and Shrub Improvement Study. The study was a cooperative effort to evaluate the performance of various species of plants in established Montana plantings. The selected plantings were evaluated for over ten years and the best performing plants were selected for seed orchard establishment at the nursery.

We use this seed source whenever possible. These selections perform well in many of Eastern Montana's variable and harsh climates. Although these plants have not been tested in every environment, MITOSIS selections are some of the best plant materials available for use in Montana. The selections are proven to survive in Montana because they were evaluated in Montana not other Northern Great Plains states.

Buffaloberry, Silver

Sheperdia argentea

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	12'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 7,000'	Life Span	40+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	10"
Wildlife Value	Excellent nesting cover. Minor food source. Rarely browsed.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Native, commonly found in coulees and sloughs with light soils. Thorny and suckers freely form thickets. Fruit makes excellent jelly.

Caragana

Caragana arborescens

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	10'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Excellent
Elevation Range	Up to 5,500'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	10"
Wildlife Value	Excellent nesting, food and cover for birds and browse for big game.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Native, commonly found in coulees and sloughs with light soils. Thorny and suckers freely form thickets. Fruit makes excellent jelly.

Cherry, Nanking

Prunus tomentosa

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	Moderate
20-Year Height	6'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Fair
Elevation Range	Up to 5,000'	Life Span	20+ years
Windbreak Spacing	3-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Fruit consumed by most birds, excellent browse.	Pests	Tent caterpillar, tent spot.
Comments	Small shrub, which performs well as an exterior row of a shelterbelt. Flowers 2-3 years after planting. Fruit is edible and sweet.

Cherry, Sand

Prunus besseyi

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	Moderate
20-Year Height	3'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Excellent
Elevation Range	Up to 5,000'	Life Span	10-15 years
Windbreak Spacing	2-4'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Excellent nesting, food and cover for birds and browse for big game.	Pests	Tent caterpillars, black knot.
Comments	Small, short-lived shrub with large edible fruit.

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	12'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Fair
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	40+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Fruit is prime food source for small mammals and birds. Browsed by deer.	Pests	Black knot, tent caterpillars, X-disease.
Comments	Suckers readily form dense rows. Fruit makes good jam. Common native shrub.

Chokecherry, Canada Red

Prunus virginiana var. schubert

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	12'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Fair
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	40+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Fruit is prime food source for small mammals and birds. Browsed by deer.	Pests	Black knot, tent caterpillars, X-disease.
Comments	The leaves on 70 to 80% of the plants turn deep purple in summer. Suckers readily form dense rows.

Cotoneaster, Centennial

Cotoneaster integerrima

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	10'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 7,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	10"
Wildlife Value	Nesting, cover and food source for birds. Poor browse plant.	Pests	Fire blight resistant.
Comments	Bright red fruit remains on plant into winter. A large hardy attractive shrub.

Currant, Golden

Ribes aureum

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	6'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Fair
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	25+ years
Windbreak Spacing	3-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Good cover for upland game birds. Fruit eaten by most birds. Browsed by big game.	Pests	White pine blister rust alternate host. Currant worm, anthracnose.
Comments	Attractive, cold and drought hardy plant, which has performed well in eastern Montana. Showy fall color, berries make excellent jelly.

Dogwood, Red-Osier

Cornus sericea

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	8'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Poor
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	40+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	18"
Wildlife Value	Excellent for bird nesting and cover. Good browse.	Pests	Oyster shell scale.
Comments	Will not survive dryland plantings. Use with irrigation or plant along water courses. Excellent for erosion controls. Bark color is deep red.

Honeysuckle, Blue-leaf

Lonicera korolkowii

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	8'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Excellent nesting cover and food source for all song and ground birds.	Pests	Aphids and witches broom.
Comments	Resistant to honeysuckle witches-broom. Fruit readily consumed by most birds. Pink flowers in the spring. Requires little care once established.

Lilac, Common

Syringa vulgaris

Growth Rate	Moderate-slow	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	8'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Moderate
Elevation Range	Up to 7,000'	Life Span	50+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Cover and nesting for song birds.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Develops numerous suckers to form dense rows. Very hardy and long-lived.

Plum, American

Prunus americana

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	10'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Fair
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-8'	Minimum Annual Precip.	13"
Wildlife Value	Excellent nesting and ground cover. Large fruit is an excellent wildlife food.	Pests	Powdery mildew, fire blight, none major.
Comments	Thorny and suckers readily form dense thickets. Fruit is edible. Native to central eastern Montana.

Rose, Woods

Rosa woodsii

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	5'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Poor
Elevation Range	Up to 7,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	3-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	11"
Wildlife Value	Excellent food, and nesting and denning cover plant for all small wildlife.	Pests	Powdery mildew.
Comments	Aggressive spreader on moist sites. Dense, thorny thickets provide protection for all forms of small wildlife. Excellent for erosion control.

Sagebrush, Silver

Artemisia cana

Growth Rate	Slow	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	2'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 5,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	10"
Wildlife Value	Important winter range browse plant.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Native sagebrush, generally found on benches and valley bottoms.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier alnifolia

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	14'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Poor
Elevation Range	Up to 6,500'	Life Span	40+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	12"
Wildlife Value	Fruit is preferred by birds, small mammals and bears. Browsed by deer and elk.	Pests	Heat rusts, mildew, aphids.
Comments	Also known as June berry. One of the best wildlife plants. Drought tolerant once established. Berries are used commercially for jam production.

Silverberry

Elaeangus commutata

rowth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	6'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 5,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	12"
Wildlife Value	Provides good cover for game birds and deer. Important deer browse.	Pests	Rabbits, branch cankers.
Comments	Native shrub, which forms dense thickets in coulees and sloughs of eastern Montana. Excellent for erosion control.

Snowberry, Western

Symphoricarpos occidentalis

Growth Rate	Moderate	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	4'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Moderate
Elevation Range	Up to 7,000'	Life Span	40+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	12"
Wildlife Value	Fruit and stems provide food to game and song birds and deer browse.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Common native shrub, which persists exceptionally well through drought, fire and heavy grazing. Excellent for erosion control due to suckering.

Sumac, Skunk

Rhus trilobata

Growth Rate	Slow	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	8'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	4-6'	Minimum Annual Precip.	10"
Wildlife Value	Food and cover for birds and small animals, especially sharp-tailed grouse.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Prefers sandy, well-drained soils and is very drought tolerant once established.

Willow, Bebb

Salix bebbiana

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	5-13'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Moderate
Elevation Range	3,500-6,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	High for stream restoration	Pests	Ungulate browse
Comments	A tall native willow found throughout western and central Montana. Found on wet sites but does not tolerate prolonged flooding.

Willow, Booth

Salix boothii

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	15'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Poor
Elevation Range	4,000-7,500'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	Good for shading streams, browsed by big game.	Pests	Aphids, leaf miners, stem rot.
Comments	Common native willow often associated with Drummond and Geyer willow. Plant only in riparian sites.

Willow, Drummond

Salix drummondiana

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	15'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Poor
Elevation Range	4,000-7,500'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	Fish habitat and browse.	Pests	Aphids, stem rots.
Comments	Common native willow found on stream banks and flood plains. Does poorly in bogs. Use for stream restoration and erosion control.

Willow, Geyer

Salix geyeriana

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	4 - 10'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Moderate
Elevation Range	4,000-8,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	High for stream restoration.	Pests	Ungulate browse.
Comments	A common native willow found at mid to high elevations in Montana. Found on many moist sites. Tolerates shade well.

Willow, Plainleaf

Salix planifolia

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	4 - 12'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Moderate
Elevation Range	4,000-7,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	High for stream restoration.	Pests	Ungulate browse.
Comments	Medium to large native shrub found at mid to high elevations in western and south central Montana. Found on stream banks, meadows and moist hillsides.

Willow, Sandbar

Salix exigua

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	10'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Good
Elevation Range	Up to 6,000'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	Excellent for streambank stabilization and bird cover.	Pests	None significant.
Comments	Most widespread native shrub willow. Found throughout the entire state. Suckers from roots to form colonies, not clumps. Excellent for erosion control and revegetation of wet sites.

Willow, Yellow

Salix lutea

Growth Rate	Fast	Cold Hardiness	High
20-Year Height	12'	Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance	Low
Elevation Range	Up to 5,500'	Life Span	30+ years
Windbreak Spacing	N/A	Minimum Annual Precip.	Riparian
Wildlife Value	High for riparian habitat restoration.	Pests	Aphids, stem rot.
Comments	Usually found at low to mid-elevations directly adjacent to streams. Use for stream stabilization and fisheries habitat.