Trees, or shrubs (small). 'Normal' plants to switch-plants (often with shoots reduced to spines). Leptocaul. Mesophytic, or xerophytic (often on steppes or coastal ecosystems) . Trees, or shrubs (small). 'Normal' plants to switch-plants (often with shoots reduced to spines). Leptocaul. Mesophytic, or xerophytic (often on steppes or coastal ecosystems)
Distribution
Temperate places in Eurasia and America; Malaysia and Australia.
Floral characters
:. Flowers solitary, or aggregated in 'inflorescences'. The terminal inflorescence unit (when flowers aggregated) racemose. Inflorescences axillary; short, fasciculate, spicate or racemose. · Free hypanthium present (constricted above the gynoecium though free from it in female and hermaphrodite flowers, often flat in males). The hypanthium is relatively long and there is no corolla (sepaline), joined (into a hypanthium tube); 1 whorled; petaloid (often, somewhat), or sepaloid; white, or cream, or yellow. · Calyx (the perianth being so interpreted) gamosepalous (basally); blunt-lobed, or entire (rarely). Androecium: Androecial members adnate (to the periant); all equal; free of one another; 1 whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens (2-)4, or 8(-12) Gynoecium 1 carpelled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. The pistil 1 celled.(monomerous); superior .
Leaf characters
Stomata mainly confined to one surface (abaxial); anomocytic. Hairs present. Complex hairs present; peltate, or stellate (the plants scaly). Leaves alternate (usually), or opposite (rarely); usually spiral; 'herbaceous', or leathery; petiolate; non-sheathing; simple. Lamina entire; pinnately veined. Leaves exstipulate. Lamina margins entire.; the plant is densely covered with lepidote indumentum, which often gives it a greyish,goldish or silvery appearance
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
Non-fleshy (within the fleshy hypanthium). The fruiting carpel indehiscent; an achene. Fruit enclosed in the fleshy hypanthium (the latter often drupelike - fleshy outside, bony within). Seeds endospermic (scantily), or non-endospermic.
Glands
absent
Hairs
present
Latex
absent
Uses
: The fruit of H. rhamnoides is edible and rich in vitamin C; Fruit of Elaeagnus spp. constitutes 'wild olive',and are used to make alcoholic drinks in Japan; and fruits of Shepherdia argentea ( 'buffalo- (rabbit-) berry') are edible and used to make jelly.
Chemical characters
. Nitrogen-fixing root nodules present (commonly), or absent. Not cyanogenic. Alkaloids present (commonly), or absent. Iridoids not detected.. Proanthocyanidins present, or absent; when present, cyanidin and delphinidin. Flavonols present; kaempferol and quercetin. Ellagic acid present (5 species, 3 genera). Arbutin absent. Saponins/sapogenins present (commonly), or absent.
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
