Elaeagnus , silverberry or oleaster, is a genus of about 50–70 species of flowering plants in the family Elaeagnaceae.
Description
Elaeagnus plants are deciduous or evergreen shrubs or small trees. The alternate leaves and the shoots are usually covered with tiny silvery to brownish scales, giving the plants a whitish to grey-brown colour from a distance. The flowers are small, with a four-lobed calyx and no petals; they are often fragrant. The fruit is a fleshy drupe containing a single seed; it is edible in many species. Several species are cultivated for their fruit, including E. angustifolia, E. umbellata, and E. multiflora (gumi). E. umbellata contains the carotenoid lycopene.
Taxonomy
The genus Elaeagnus was erected in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus, who attributed the name to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. There is agreement that the name is based on Theophrastus's use of the Ancient Greek (, latinized to ) as the name of a shrub. The first part of the name, elae-, is from , 'olive'. Sources differ on the origin of the second part: it may be from , Vitex agnus-castus, the chaste tree, or from the Greek name for a kind of willow. In either case, the second part is derived from (), meaning 'pure', 'chaste'.
Species
Elaeagnus comprises the following species: