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: Elaeagnus angustata (Rehder) C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus angustifolia L. – oleaster, Russian silverberry, or Russian olive (western Asia) Elaeagnus annamensis S.Moore Elaeagnus argyi H.Lév. (China) Elaeagnus bambusetorum Hand.-Mazz. (China) Elaeagnus bockii Diels (China) Elaeagnus bonii Lecomte Elaeagnus calcarea Z.R.Xu Elaeagnus caudata Schltdl. ex Momiy. Elaeagnus cinnamomifolia W.K.Hu & H.F.Chow (China) Elaeagnus commutata Bernh. ex Rydb. – American silverberry or wolf-willow (North America) Elaeagnus conferta Roxb. (southern Asia) Elaeagnus courtoisii Belval (China) Elaeagnus davidii Franch. (China) Elaeagnus delavayi Lecomte (China) Elaeagnus difficilis Servett. (China) Elaeagnus epitricha Momiy. ex H.Ohba Elaeagnus fasciculata Griff. Elaeagnus formosana Nakai (Taiwan) Elaeagnus formosensis Hatus. Elaeagnus geniculata D.Fang Elaeagnus glabra Thunb. (eastern Asia) Elaeagnus gonyanthes Benth. (China) Elaeagnus griffithii Servett. (China) Elaeagnus grijsii Hance (China) Elaeagnus guizhouensis C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus henryi Warb. ex Diels (China) Elaeagnus heterophylla D.Fang & D.R.Liang Elaeagnus hunanensis C.J.Qi & Q.Z.Lin Elaeagnus indica Servett. Elaeagnus infundibularis Momiy. Elaeagnus jiangxiensis C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus jingdonensis C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus kanaii Momiy. (China) Elaeagnus lanceolata Warb. (China) Elaeagnus lanpingensis C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus laosensis Lecomte Elaeagnus latifolia L. (southern Asia) Elaeagnus lipoensis Z.R.Xu Elaeagnus liuzhouensis C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus longiloba C.Y.Chang (China) Elaeagnus loureiroi Champ. (southern China)