Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), fam. Elaeagnaceae.
   Grows in some places in the city. (It is a pity that still nobody has not decided to plant this useful and hardy plant in the forest…). Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant, i.e. half bushes do not bring fruit, and they are only intended to pollinate the second, female half. Moreover, even among the latter half not every plant gives such an abundant crop each year, as shown in the first photo.
   Sea buckthorn is very beneficial for health, but only for those who is ready to reconcile with two drawbacks. The first is its sharply acid taste (well, it could be diluted with some additives – but this may also strongly reduce the benefits…). The second drawback is that the fruits are hard to gather: even if you managed to find a truly generously fruiting tree, the berries are picked with difficulty, and half of them bursts. In Siberia, people get used to pick sea buckthorn after the frosts come – but it is impractical in Kyiv. Really, the frosts should reach at least -10, otherwise the berries would still have liquid inside. But in Kyiv climate, before that it will surely be several cycles of frosting-defrosting, during which the fruit will spoil. The only found solution is to gather sea buckthorn when just ripening and not very soft yet, usually in the first days of October.
   The healing properties of sea buckthorn are capable of strengthening the walls of blood vessels, and significantly improving the tissue metabolism. Sea buckthorn should be eaten to combat the duodenal diseases, gastritis, ulcers, cardiovascular diseases, and to treat chronical vitamin deficiency. Besides, sea buckthorn is used for gynecological problems, burns, various nonhealing sores and wounds, including those resulting from radiation damage. While most berries and fruit contain almost no fat, sea buckthorn is one of the exceptions. The oil obtained from it is also an acknowledged medical remedy.

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