Elaeagnus viridis Servettaz

Fruiting material has been described as Elaeagnus viridis var. delavayi but it is not possible to assess the status of such plants without knowledge of comparable material of both var. viridis and var. delavayi.

Shrubs, evergreen, erect, to 2 m tall. Spines sometimes strongly reflexed, ca. 1 cm, slender; young branches with dense rust-colored scales. Petiole rust-colored, 5-7 mm; leaf blade adaxially drying green, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 2.5-6.5 × 1.2-2.6 cm, thinly leathery or papery, abaxially densely silvery scaly, lateral veins 6 or 7 per side of midrib, slightly conspicuous on both surfaces, base cuneate, margin entire, apex acute. Flowers 1-3 in axils. Pedicel 2-3 mm; fruiting pedicel ca. 15 mm. Flowers nodding, white, outside densely silvery scaly. Calyx tube broadly tubular, ca. 5 mm; lobes broadly ovate or ovate-triangular, ca. 2.5 mm, inside sparsely whitely stellate, apex acuminate. Filaments very short; anthers oblong. Style erect, sparsely stellate-hairy. Drupe ellipsoid, ca. 1.3 × 0.7 cm, silvery scaly (var. delavayi). Fl. Oct-Nov.

W Hubei, S Shanxi.

● Open bushland on sandy soil; 500-1200 m.

Elaeagnus viridis var. delavayi Lecomte.