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Clethra

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Clethra arborea1.jpg

|image_caption = Clethra arborea flowers

|taxon = Clethra

|authority = L.

|type_species = Clethra alnifolia

|type_species_authority = L.

|subdivision_ranks = Species

|subdivision = See text

|synonyms_ref =

|synonyms = *Junia Adans., illegitimate superfluous name, not Raf. 1840 (Saxifragaceae) [http://www.tropicos.org/NameSearch.aspx?name=Junia&commonname= Tropicos, search for Junia]

  • Volkameria P.Browne 1756, illegitimate homonym, not L. 1753 (Lamiaceae) nor L. ex Kuntze 1898 (Pedaliaceae) nor Heist. ex Fabr. 1759 (Lamiaceae)[http://www.tropicos.org/NameSearch.aspx?name=Volkameria&commonname= Tropicos search for Volkameria]
  • Tinus L. 1759, illegitimate homonym, not Mill. 1754 (Caprifoliaceae) nor Kuntze 1891 (Primulaceae)[http://www.tropicos.org/NameSearch.aspx?name=Tinus&commonname= Tropicos search for Tinus]
  • Gillena Adans. 1763, illegitimate superfluous name
  • Cuellaria Ruiz & Pav.
  • Crossophrys Klotzsch
  • Kowalewskia Turcz.

}}

File:Summersweet Clethra Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby spice' Flower 2000px.jpg 'Ruby spice']]

Clethra is a genus of flowering shrubs or small trees described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358415#page/408/mode/1up Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 396] in Latin[http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40010273 Tropicos, Clethra L.]

Clethra is one of two genera in the family Clethraceae (the other being Purdiaea). The species may be evergreen or deciduous, and all bear flowers in clusters (inflorescences), which correspond to racemes or panicles. The flowers are quite small, white or pinkish, and each bear five free petals, numerous stamens, and a three-chambered seed capsule. The leaves, simple, ovate, and alternate or opposite, bear characteristic stellate hairs. The seeds are very small and numerous.{{cite book|title=Guía de Arboles de Bolivia by Killeen, T.J.; García E., E.; & Beck, S.G. (eds.)|year=1993|publisher=Herbario Nacional de Bolivia and Missouri Botanical Garden|location=Bolivia|pages=214}}

Distribution

Clethra species are native to a variety of habitats, including swamps, woodland, and rocky sites{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}} from temperate to tropical climates in eastern and southeastern Asia, Malesia, North and South America, and one species (C. arborea) on the island of Madeira.

Fossil record

Several fossil fruits and seeds of †Clethra cimbrica have been described from middle Miocene strata of the Fasterholt area near Silkeborg in Central Jutland, Denmark.Angiosperm Fruits and Seeds from the Middle Miocene of Jutland (Denmark)

by Else Marie Friis, The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters 24:3, 1985

Species

The number of species accepted varies between different authorities depending on taxonomic interpretation, but with a recent trend to reduce the number recognised as distinct. The recent Flora of China (series)[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=107333 Flora of China Vol. 14 Page 238 桤叶树属 qi ye shu shu Clethra Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 396. 1753. ] has cut the number accepted for China from 35 to seven species, and the US Department of Agriculture{{Cite PLANTS |symbol=CLETH |taxon=Clethra |access-date=11 November 2024 }} recognises only two in the United States, synonymising C. tomentosa with C. alnifolia. The following are accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families:{{citation |url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=43184 |title=Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |access-date=9 October 2016}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Commons category-inline}}
  • {{Wikispecies-inline}}

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Category:Ericales genera

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus