Elaeagnus caspica

• Interesting Facts
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Elaeagnaceae

Trees or shrubs , deciduous or evergreen ; most parts with distinctive silvery or brownish peltate scales and/or stellate hairs , sometimes branches spine-tipped. Leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled ; stipules absent; petiole usually present, sometimes short; leaf blade often leathery, simple , margin entire or subentire , abaxially densely stellate-hairy or peltate-scaly, pinnately veined. Flowers solitary or in clusters or short racemes , actinomorphic , bisexual , or unisexual (plants dioecious) . Calyx in bisexual and female flowers tubular , 2-6(-8) -lobed, male flowers of Hippophae of 2 membranous sepals. Petals absent. Stamens 4-8, free , adnate to calyx tube, in male flowers 2 × as many as the lobes , in bisexual flowers as many as the lobes and alternate with them. Ovary superior but tightly enclosed in differentiated basal part of calyx and apparently inferior, 1-loculed; style elongate , stigma lateral . Ovule 1, basal, anatropous . Fruit drupelike, indehiscent, enclosed in base of calyx tube and containing a single seed.

Three genera and ca. 90 species: N temperate and tropical regions ; two genera and 74 species (59 endemic) in China.

The fruits of many members of this family are edible, and some species of both Elaeagnus and Hippophae are widely utilized and sometimes cultivated as fruit trees. They are a particularly good source of Vitamin C. Several species are also grown as ornamental garden shrubs. The roots are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen making it possible for plants to grow well on very poor soils. For this reason, some species, most notably Elaeagnus angustifolia, have been used for land reclamation.[1]

Genus Elaeagnus

Shrubs , sometimes climbing , or small trees , deciduous or evergreen , sometimes spiny . Leaves alternate, petiolate , blade margin usually entire. Flowers bisexual , clustered on short axillary shoots , sometimes solitary. Calyx tubular , 4-lobed, constricted above ovary and breaking at constriction as fruit develops; lobes usually spreading , deciduous, white or yellow inside. Stamens 4, inserted in mouth of calyx tube, alternate with lobes. Style linear , not exserted. Drupe globose or ellipsoid , rarely longitudinally winged (E. mollis) ; stone usually 8-ribbed, with a large straight embryo.

About 90 species: Asia, S Europe, North America; 67 species (55 endemic) in China.

Many taxa are separated only by quantitative characters, and better information on population variation is likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of species recognized. Indeed, recent studies (Du, Fl. Yunnan. 12: 749-776. 2006) suggest that some species of Elaeagnus should be combined.[2]

Taxonomy

Notes

Publishing author : Grossh. Publication : Opr. Rast. Kavk. 187 (1949); cf. Grossheim, Fl. Kavk., ed. 2, vi. 224 (1962)

Basionym author: (Sosn.)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Elaeagnus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 20 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

E. angustifolia (Oleaster) · E. angustifolia 'Quicksilver' (Silver Russian Olive) · E. commutata (American Silverberry) · E. latifolia (Wild Olive) · E. multiflora (Cherry Silver-Berry) · E. orientalis (Oriental Olive) · E. orientalis 'King Red' (Silver Russian Olive) · E. philippinensis (Lingaro) · E. pungens (Pungent Elaeagnus) · E. pungens 'Fruitlandii' (Fruitland Silverberry) · E. pungens 'Glen St. Mary' (Golden Elaeagnus) · E. pungens 'Maculata' (Golden Elaeagnus) · E. rhamnoides (Common Seabuckthorn) · E. umbellata (Autumn Elaeangus) · E. umbellata Thunb. var. parvifolia (Royle) Schneid. (Autumn Olive) · E. umbellata var. parvifolia (Autumn Olive) · E. umbellatus (Oleaster) · E. x ebbingei 'Eleador' (Ebbinges Silverberry) · E. x ebbingei 'Gilt Edge' (Ebbinges Silverberry) · E. x ebbingei 'Limelight' (Ebbinges Silverberry)

More Info

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Further Reading

• Chang Che-yung. 1983. Elaeagnaceae. In: Fang Wen-pei & Chang Che-yung, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 52(2): 1-66.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 05, 2007:

• International Plant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI), EURISCO

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8594360
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15462628
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:323665-1
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 323665-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 736212

Footnotes

1. Haining Qin & Michael G. Gilbert "Elaeagnaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 251. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Elaeagnus". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 251. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.