The genus is named after an English botanist, William Vernon and the species name elaeagnifolia means, having foliage resembling Elaeagnus, pure olive.
According to the Rules of ICBN the names of the families should end in -aceae. Thus the new name for the family Compositae became Asteraceae. However, the name Compositae is also exempted and conserved under 'Nomina Conservanda' because of their constant use for a long time.