September 4, 1804, along the Niobrara River, South Dakota.

Shrub or small tree with silvery, scaly leaves, young twigs, berries; branches opposite; twigs often spine-tipped. Leaves 1.5 in (3.8 cm), opposite, oblong. Flowers tiny, yellowish, four-lobed, in clusters. Height: 18 ft (5.5 m).

River bottoms, ditches, meadows.

Most common in northern Great Plains; also found from British Columbia to Manitoba, south throughout the western United States and to the Great Lakes.