Growing in a shady, wooded area of my backyard:

I want to say goumi.
What can you tell us about this bush?
Did it volunteer? something someone planted?

We just moved into the house on May 1st and I found this plant growing in a wooded area at the back of our property. It sure does look a lot like Elaeagnus! Both Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) and Silverthorn (Elaeagnus pungens) are listed as Category II non-native invasives here in Florida so I plan on removing any of them that I find.

There are so many pest plants here in Fla. I've yanked out a few Brazilian Pepper Saplings since we've been here and there's a decent sized one that my husband will be taking his chain saw in the next week or so. As much as I hate using chemicals, we will have to use a herbicide on that tree. It is one of the most aggressive, invasive plants in our state.

Not to mention 5 different kinds of poisonous snakes, insects named after colors, all of which bite and alligators. Oh, and really really big snakes that just eat you whole.

Yeah, we have all of those in Texas too - except the monster snakes - so far , and I don't envy you them. I guess you need really big swamps for them to live in, and our swamps are mostly temporary.

I don't like chemical controls either, but with a really long growing season and no real winters, the vegetation can sometimes be managed no other way.

Oh, and I don't know what your shrub is either.

Thats Solanum diphyllum right ?


Edit to add :
How many petals it have ? I think it will be 5 instead of 4 of Elaeagnus flower.

@XiaoLong, You may be right! I found Twoleaf Nightshade (Solanum diphyllum) growing in the side yard that someone here identified for me not long ago! I'll have to take a closer look later today and compare!

I'm going to mark this as solved; after further inspection I'm almost certain it is Twoleaf Nightshade! Thanks @XiaoLong!

You are welcome