Elaeagnus plants are deciduous or evergreenshrubs or small trees.[3] 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 carotenoidlycopene.[4]
Taxonomyedit
The genus Elaeagnus was erected in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus, who attributed the name to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort.[1][5] There is agreement that the name is based on Theophrastus's use of the Ancient Greekἐλαίαγνος (elaíagnos, latinized to elaeagnus) as the name of a shrub.[6] The first part of the name, elae-, is from ἐλαία, 'olive'. Sources differ on the origin of the second part: it may be from ἄγνος, Vitex agnus-castus, the chaste tree,[6] or from the Greek name for a kind of willow.[7] In either case, the second part is derived from ἁγνός (hagnós), meaning 'pure', 'chaste'.[8]
The vast majority of the species are native to temperate and subtropical regions of Asia.[3]Elaeagnus triflora extends from Asia south into northeastern Australia, while E. commutata is native to North America, and Elaeagnus philippinensis is native to the Philippines. One of the Asian species, E. angustifolia, may also be native in southeasternmost Europe, though it may instead be an early human introduction there. Also, several Asiatic species of Elaeagnus have become established as introduced species in North America, with some of these species being considered invasive, or even designated as noxious, in portions of the United States.[3][11][12]
Many Elaeagnus species harbor nitrogen-fixing organisms in their roots, so are able to grow well in low-nitrogen soils.[3] This ability results in multiple ecological consequences where these Elaeagnus species are present. They can become invasive in many locations where they are established as exotic species. Two species (E. pungens and E. umbellata) are currently rated as category II noxious, invasive species in many world regions[3] and by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.[12]
Cultivationedit
Elaeagnus species are widely cultivated for their showy, often variegated, foliage, and numerous cultivars and hybrids have been developed.[13]
The fruit is acidic and somewhat astringent.[3] It makes good tarts.[14]
Notable species and hybrids in cultivation include:-
^ ab"Elaeagnus Tourn. ex L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
^Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. pp. 606–7. ISBN 978-0-376-03850-0.
^ abcdefg"Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)". CABI. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
^Fordham, Ingrid M.; Clevidence, Beverly A.; Wiley, Eugene R.; Zimmerman, Richard H. (2001). "Fruit of autumn olive : A rich source of lycopene". HortScience. 36 (6): 1136–7. ISSN 0018-5345.
^Linnaeus, Carl (1754). "148. Elaeagnus". Genera Plantarum (5 ed.). Holmia (Stockholm): Laurentius Salvius. p. 57. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
^ abGilbert-Carter, H. (1955). Glossary of the British Flora (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 30.
^Johnson, A.T. & Smith, H.A. (1972). Plant Names Simplified : Their Pronunciation Derivation & Meaning. Buckenhill, Herefordshire: Landsmans Bookshop. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-900513-04-6.
^Liddell, Henry George & Scott, Robert. "A Greek-English Lexicon". Perseus 4.0. Department of the Classics, Tufts University. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
^ abGovaerts R. "Myrica L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
^"Elaeagnus". County-level distribution maps from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
^ ab"Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Lists". Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
^RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1-4053-3296-4.
^Maiden, J. H. (1889). The Useful Native Plants of Australia: Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney.
^"RHS Plantfinder – Elaeagnus × submacrophylla". Retrieved 5 June 2020.
^"Eleagnus × ebbengei 'Gilt Edge'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
^"AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 35. Retrieved 6 February 2018.