Hippophaë

a genus of plants of the family Elaeagnaceae. There are three species, growing predominantly in the temperate zone of Eurasia. One species, the sea buckthorn (H. rhamnoides), is found in the USSR, growing in the western and southern European USSR, Southern Siberia, Middle Asia, and the Caucasus. The plant, a shrub or small tree, is up to 11 m tall and has thorny branches and linear or linear-lanceolate leaves. The stellate-squamose hairs impart a silvery tinge to the leaves. The flowers are unisexual and small. The staminate flowers have bipartite perianths and four stamens; the pistillate flowers have tubular, bilobular perianths. The drupelike fruit has a juicy, fleshy pulp and appears to be stuck to the stalk.

Hippophaë grows along seas and lakes, in the floodplains of rivers and streams, on gravels and sands, and in mountains at elevations to 2,100 m. The plants are cultivated as ornamentals and for their fruit. They are also used for stabilizing sands, landslides, slopes, and ravines. Hedges are made with the plants. The fruits are rich in vitamins and are used in preparing infusions, liqueurs, and jams. They also yield a medicinal oil consisting of tocopherols (110 mg percent) and a mixture of carotene and carotenoids (180 mg percent), as well as glycerides of oleic, linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. The plants are used internally for treating gastric ulcers and externally for treating burns, bedsores, and radiation injuries to the skin. The leaves serve as raw material for tanning.