ELEAGNACEAE. 



VOL. II. 



i. Elaeagnus argentea Pnrsh. Silver- 

 berry. Fig. 2995. 



Elaeagnus argentea Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 114. 

 1814. 



Stoloniferous, 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 i" long; fruit oval, silvery, 

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



Quebec to Hudson Bay, Yukon, British Co- 

 lumbia, 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 thornkss. 

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



1 . L. canadensis. 



2. L. argentea. 



i. Lepargyraea canadensis (L.) Greene. Canadian Buffalo-berry. Fig. 2996. 



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'-ii' long, 

 green and sparingly stellate-scurfy above, 

 densely silvery stellate-scurfy beneath, some 

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

 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" -3" 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. 



