ELEAGXACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



I. Elaeagnus argentea I'ursli. Silver- 

 berry. I'ij,'. 2<JijS. 



Elaeagnus argentea Pursli. Fl. Am. Sept. 114. 

 1814. 



Stoloiiiferous, much branched, thornless, 

 sometimes 12 high, the young twigs cov- 

 ered with brown scurf, becoming silvery. 

 Leaves oblong, ovate or oval-lanceolate, 

 densely silvery-scurfy on both sides, acute 

 or obtuse, short-petioled, i'-4' long; flow- 

 ers usually numerous, i to 3 in the axils, 

 fragrant, silvery, 6"-8'' long; perianth sil- 

 very without, yellowish within, its lobes 

 ovate, about l" long; fruit oval, silvery, 

 4"-6" long, the stone 8-striate. 



Quebec to Hudson Bay. Yukon, British Co- 

 himbia. Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah. 

 May-July. Fruit edible, ripe July-Aug. 



2. LEPARGYRAEA Raf. Am. Month. Mag. 2: 176. 1817. 

 [Shepherdia Nutt. Gen. 2: 240. 1818.] 



Shrubs, brown- or silvery-scurfy or stellate-pubescent, with opposite petioled leaves. 

 Flowers small, dioecious, or sometimes polygamous, subspicate or fascicled at the nodes of 

 the preceding season, or axillary, the pistillate few or sometimes solitary. Pistillate flowers 

 with an urn-shaped or ovoid 4-lobed perianth, bearing an 8-lobed disk at its mouth which 

 nearly closes it ; style somewhat exserted. Staminate flowers with a 4-parted perianth and 

 8 stamens alternating with as many lobes of the disk; filaments short. Fruit drupe-like, the 

 fleshy perianth-base enclosing a nut, or achene. [Greek, silvery-scaly.] 



Three known species, the following and L. rotundifolia of Utah. Type species : Hippophac 

 argentea Pursh. 



Leaves ovate or oval, green above, silvery beneath ; shrub thornless. i. L. canadensis. 



Leaves oblong, silvery on both sides ; shrub mostly thorny. 2. L. argentea. 



I. Lepargyraea canadensis (L.) Greene 



Elaeagnus canadensis L. Sp. PI. 1024. 1753. 

 Shepherdia canadensis Nutt. Gen. 2 : 240. 1818. 

 L. canadensis Greene, Pittonia 2; 122. 1890. 



A thornless shrub, 4-8 high, the young 



shoots brown-scurfy. Leaves ovate or oval, 



obtuse at the apex, rounded, or some of 



them narrowed at the base, I'-la' long, 



green and sparingly stellate-scurfy above, 



densely silvery stellate-scurfy beneath, some 



of the scurf usually brown ; petioles 2"-3" 



long ; flowers in short spikes at the nodes 



of the twigs, yellowish ; buds globose, less 



than i" in diameter, forming in summer, 



expanding with or before the leaves early 



in the following spring; perianth about 2" 



broad when expanded ; fruit oval, red or 



yellowish, 2"-t," long, the flesh insipid, the 



nut smooth. 



On banks, especially along streams, New- 

 foundland to Alaska. British Columbia. Maine, 

 New York. Wisconsin and New Mexico. Wild 

 oleaster- or olive-tree. Soopoo-lalia (Indian). 

 April-June. Fruit ripe July-Aug. 



Canadian Buffalo-berry. Fig. 2996. 



