Clethra
From Freepedia
| Clethra | ||||||||||||
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| Image:Clethra arborea1.jpg Clethra arborea flowers | ||||||||||||
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Between 30-70; see text. |
Clethra is a genus of between 30-70 species of flowering shrubs or small trees. It is the sole genus in family Clethraceae. The species may be evergreen or deciduous, and all bear flowers in clusters or inflorescences.
They are distributed from temperate to tropical climates in eastern and southeastern Asia, Malesia, Central America and northern South America, the southeastern United States, and one species (C. arborea) on the island of Madeira.
- 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 has cut the number accepted for China from 35 to 7 species, and the USDA only recognises two in the United States, synonymising C. tomentosa with C. alnifolia. The following is a selection:
- Clethra acuminata (southeastern US)
- Clethra alnifolia (southeastern US)
- Clethra arborea (Madeira)
- Clethra barbinervis (eastern China, Korea, Japan)
- Clethra bodinieri (southern China)
- Clethra crispa (northwestern South America)
- Clethra delavayi (southern China to Bhutan and Vietnam)
- Clethra fabri (southern China, Vietnam)
- Clethra fargesii (central China)
- Clethra fimbriata (northwestern South America)
- Clethra kaipoensis (southeastern China)
- Clethra lanata (southern Mexico to Panama)
- Clethra mexicana (southern Mexico, Central America)
- Clethra obovata (northwestern South America)
- Clethra ovalifolia (northwestern South America)
- Clethra paralelinervia (northwestern South America)
- Clethra petelotii (Vietnam, Yunnan)
- Clethra revoluta (northwestern South America)
- Clethra rugosa (northwestern South America)
