390 LXIV. eLjEAGNE^. {Elmagnus. 



blade 1-3 in., petiole \ in. long, under side, as well as petioles and branch- 

 lets, covered continuously by silvery circular scales, composed of radiating 

 cells, upper side dull green with copious scattered scales, midrib promi- 

 nent beneath, main lateral nerves 4-6 pair, indistinct. Flowers yellow, 

 fragrant, axillary, pedicellate, 1-3 together. Perianth silvery outside, gla- 

 brous and yellow inside, the upper free portion campanulate, 4:-dentate. 

 Fruit axillary, solitary, ovoid-oblong, red when ripe, f in., stalk ^ in. long, 

 kernel oblong, with a thick osseous shell. Seed oily. 



Indigenous in Central Asia, Syria, Macedonia and Greece. Cultivated in the 

 Mediterranean region, Afghanistan, Beluchistan, Yarkand, and in Tibet, between 

 7000 and 10,600 ft. (Baltis, near Leh, Nubra). Thomson, 1. c. 243, describes the 

 Elaeagrvus (and Apricot) growing in places in Baltistan where "no cultivation 

 could ever have existed," but adds that " they were too few in number to be really 

 regarded as indigenous." Is this tree ever cultivated in the Panjab Himalaya 

 under the name of Ghewd/in 1 Fl. (in Tibet) May-July ; fr. Aug. The tree is 

 deciduous, but the withered leaves remain attached to the tree instead of falling 

 off at the end of autumn. Attains 25 ft., with an erect, straight trunk, 5-6 ft. 

 girth, and a rounded, close handsome cro^vn. Bark thick, fibrous, smooth, light 

 grey, between deep longitudinal, ragged, dark-brown furrows. Sapwood narrow, 

 heartwood dark brown, porous and soft, medullary rays numerous, used for fuel. 

 A transparent brown and white gum, similar to gum-arabic, exudes from wounds 

 in the bark (Beluchistan, Stocks). The tree is mainly cultivated on account of 

 its fruit, which is acid (sweetish acid and mealy when ripe in Greece) and eat- 

 able. A spirit is distilled from it in Yarkand, and Moororoft states that the 

 annual yield of a tree is often 16-20 lb. of dried fruit. Hardy in England. 



2. E. latifolia, Linn.— Tab. XLVI — Wight Ic. t. 1856.— Syn. E. 

 conferta, Eoxb. Fl. Ind. i. 440. E. ferruginea, A. Eich. ; DC. Prodr. 

 xiv. 610. Vern. Ghiiodi, mijhaula, Kamaon. 



Evergreen, with divergent axUlary spines ; . branchlets, petioles and 

 under side of leaves densely clothed with silvery or ferruginous, circular, 

 lobed and dentate scales. Leaves ovate-oblong, acuminate, iDlade 5-6 

 in., petiole J in. long, upper surface glabrous, shining. Flowers few or 

 numerous, pale yellow, scented, pedicellate, in axillary, often shortly pe- 

 dunculate clusters. Perianth clothed outside with silvery scales, the 

 upper free part (in the bisexual flowers) campanulate, not more than 

 twice the length of segments. Fruit ovoid-oblong, 1-1 J in. long, red or 

 yellow when ripe, succulent, putamen coriaceous, with 8 prominent ribs, 

 clothed inside with a thick felt-like coating of white sUky hairs. 



Himalaya, Kamaon to Bhutan. (Panjab 1500 to 9000 ft., according to Dr 

 Stewart.) Kasia hills, SiUiet, Burma, South India, Ceylon, Indian Archipelago. 

 Fl. (usually) Nov. -Feb. ; fr. May, June, often remaining long on the tree. A 

 tall straggling or more or less scandent shrub, or a small tree. The wood re- 

 sembles that of E. hortensis. The fruit has an agreeable acid taste, somewhat 

 astringent, and is eaten. 



.Roxburgh, 1. c. 441, describes E. arhorea (with white flowers, 111. in Herb. 

 Kew, 2432) as a large tree, a native of the Garrow hills, fruit shaped like an 

 olive, but much larger. Is this a distinct species ? 



3. E. umbellata, Thunberg.— Syn. E. parvifolia, Wall. ; Eoyle 111. t. 



