Elaeagnaceae

Alternate or opposite leaves coated in a distinctive silvery or rust-coloured scaly sheen on shrubs and climbers; small, petal-less, fragrant flowers show a petal-like calyx tube instead, ripening into a berry-like drupe.

The silvery, scale-covered leaf surface is created by thousands of tiny star-shaped or shield-shaped hairs, a texture unique enough to identify the family by touch alone.

To check whether a plant belongs to Elaeagnaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.