Elaeagnus multiflora var.hortensis (*) Cladus: Eukaryota Elaeagnus multiflora (Goumi, Gumi, Natsugumi, or Cherry Silverberry), is a species of Elaeagnus, native to China, Korea and Japan. It is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 2-8 m tall, with a trunk up to 30 cm diameter with dark brown bark. The shoots are densely covered in minute red-brown scales. The leaves are ovate to elliptic, 3-10 cm long and 2-5 cm broad, green above, and silvery to orange-brown below with dense small scales. The flowers are solitary or in pairs in the leaf axils, fragrant, with a four-lobed pale yellowish-white 1.5 cm long corolla; flowering is in mid spring. The fruit is round to oval drupe 1 cm long, silvery-scaled orange, ripening red dotted with silver or brown, pendulous on a 2-3 cm peduncle. When ripe in mid to late summer, the fruit is juicy and edible, with an acidic taste. As with other species in the genus Elaeagnus, E. multiflora are an actinorhizal plant, growing in symbiosis with the actinobacteria Frankia in the soil. These bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it available in usable form for the host plant, and indirectly for other nearby plants. This feature allows the plant to grow in poorer soils than would be possible otherwise. Chinese people have traditionally considered them to be among a group of "nutraceuticals", or foods that are edible and have medicinal values. They are said to decrease cholesterol and have other benefits, but scientific evidence has yet to confirm this belief . It is occasionally grown in Europe and North America as an ornamental plant and for its fruit. It is naturalised in parts of the eastern United States [1]. References * Germplasm Resources Information Network: Elaeagnus multiflora Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
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