ELAEAGNUS 209 



cm. wide, petioles about 2 mm. long; flowers appearing in clusters of 

 2-5 before the leaves, nearly sessile, the yellowish calyx about 1 cm. long; 

 drupe oval-oblong, red, 10-12 mm. long : p a 1 u s t r i s, marshy. 



Common in the northeastern part of the state and westward as far as 

 the White Earth Indian Reservation and Lake of the Woods, infrequent 

 throughout the wooded area southward. Distributed from New Bruns- 

 wick to Minn., southward to Va. and Mo. Blossoms in April and May, 

 fruit ripe in August. The bark was used by the Indians for making 

 thongs; it produces violent vomiting if taken internally and is an irritant 

 to the skin if applied externally. 



Elaeagnaceae Oleaster Family 



Shrubs or trees, mostly silvery scaly or stellate pubescent; leaves en- 

 tire, opposite or alternate ; flowers in clusters or rarely solitary, in the axils 

 of the leaves or at the nodes of twigs of the preceding season, calyx of the 

 perfect or pistillate flowers urn-shaped, 4-lobed or cleft, upper part decidu- 

 ous, stamens 4 or 8, those of the perfect flowers inserted on the throat of 

 the calyx, filaments short, disk round or lobed, ovary 1 -celled, ovule 1, 

 erect, style slender; fruit drupe-like, the lower part of the calyx becom- 

 ing fleshy and enclosing the achene. 



KEY TO THE GENERA 



1. Flowers perfect, stamens 4, leaves alternate Elaeagnus 



2. Flowers dioecious, stamens 8, leaves opposite Shepherdia 



Elaeagnus L i n n e 1753 

 (Gr. e 1 a e a, olive, a g n o s, chaste-tree) 



Shrubs or trees with silvery-scaly branches and foliage; leaves simple, 

 alternate and petioled; flowers borne singly or in clusters of 2-4 in the 

 axils of the leaves, short-stalked, perfect, or staminate and pistillate, 

 calyx tubular, slightly constricted just above the ovary, campanulate and 

 4-lobed, deciduous, stamens 4, inserted on the upper part of the calyx- 

 tube ; fruit drupe-like, fleshy or mealy, inclosing the ellipsoid achene. 



A genus of about 20 species, natives of Europe, Asia, North America 

 and Australia. 



Key to the Species 



1. Twigs with brown scales, thornless, native shrub E. argentea 



2. Twigs without brown scales, often thorny, cul- 



tivated tree E. angusti folia 



