ELEAGNACEAE 257 



polygamous, apetalous, small and inconspicuous but usually fragrant; 

 perianth tubular, or campanulate, constricted above the ovary, 4 lobed; 

 stamens 4, inserted on the perianth and included, on short filaments. 

 Fruit drupe-like with a striated or grooved seed. 



About 40 species in Europe, N. America and Asia, nearly all of 

 them shrubby. Many species have silvery foliage and ornamental fruits 

 and delicately scented though inconspicuous flowers. 



Eleagnus umbellata Thunberg. 



Usually a large shrub, sometimes a small tree 5 or 6 m. tall. Often 

 spiny. Branchlets brownish, often silvery. Leaves oval to ovate-oblong, 

 silvery white above and beneath, especially when young, 4-8 cm. long. 

 Mowers fragrant, yellowish, with slender elongated tube longer than the 

 perianth lobes. Fruit globose or oval, red with silvery and brown scales, 

 about 8 mm. long; peduncles up to 12 mm. long. 



Himalayas to China, and Japan. Szechuan, Hupeh, Kansu, Shansi, 

 Shantung. 



The remaining 11 or 12 species in this country are shrubby. 



HIPPOPHAE 



Shrubs or trees with silvery scales on young twigs and leaves, often 

 spinescent. Leaves alternate, narrow, silvery gray. Flowers dioecious, 

 inconspicuous, yellow, in short racemes. Staminate flowers sessile; 

 sepals 2 ; stamens 4. Pistillate flowers short stalked ; calyx minutely 2 

 toothed. Fruit drupe-like, globose, orange or yellow. 



2 species in Europe and W. and C. Asia. 



H. salicifolia D. Don is the Himalayan species. 



Hippophae rhamnoides Linnaeus. 



Deciduous shrub or small tree, sometimes 12 m. tall. Young plants 

 covered with silvery scales. Branches gray and often spinescent. Leaves 

 linear-lanceolate, very short petioled, gray-green above, silvery -gray 

 beneath, 2.5-8 cm. long. Flowers appearing before the leaves. Fruit 

 subglobose to ovoid, orange-yellow, 6-8 mm. long. 



Europe and temperate Asia. Szechuan, Shensi, Chihli. 



