Fothergilla
Genus of flowering plants
Fothergilla | |
---|---|
Fothergilla gardenii | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade : | Tracheophytes |
Clade : | Angiosperms |
Clade : | Eudicots |
Order: | Saxifragales |
Family: | Hamamelidaceae |
Subfamily: | Hamamelidoideae |
Tribe: | Fothergilleae |
Genus: |
Fothergilla
Murr. |
Species | |
|
Fothergilla ( witch alder ) is a genus of two to four species of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae , native to woodland and swamps of the southeastern United States.
They are low-growing deciduous shrubs growing to 1–3 m (3–10 ft) tall with downy twigs. The brush-like flowers are produced before the leaves in spring on terminal spikes; they do not have any petals, but a conspicuous cluster of white stamens 2–3 cm long. The leaves are alternate, broad ovoid, 4–10 cm long and 3–8 cm broad, with a coarsely toothed margin; they are noted for their brilliant orange or red fall colors. [1]
Species
- Fothergilla gardenii dwarf witch alder
- † Fothergilla malloryi (Extinct, Ypresian , Klondike Mountain Formation) [2] [3]
- Fothergilla major large witch alder (incl. Fothergilla monticola )
- Fothergilla milleri [4]
- Fothergilla parvifolia [4]
Etymology
The genus was named in honor of the English physician and plant collector Dr. John Fothergill (1712-1780) of Stratford, Essex , who was known for introducing American plants to Britain. [5]
Cultivation and uses
Fothergillas are grown as ornamental plants for their spring flowers and fall foliage color. They are slow-growing, rarely exceeding 1–2 m tall in cultivation. The hybrid cultivar Fothergilla × intermedia 'Mount Airy' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . [6]
References
- ↑ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants . United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964 .
- ↑ Meghan G. Radtke; Kathleen B. Pigg; Wesley C. Wehr (2005), "Fossil Corylopsis and Fothergilla Leaves (Hamamelidaceae) from the Lower Eocene Flora of Republic, Washington, U.S.A., and Their Evolutionary and Biogeographic Significance", International Journal of Plant Sciences , 166 (2): 347, doi : 10.1086/427483
- ↑ Jianhua Li and Peter Del Tredici (2008), "The Chinese Parrotia: A Sibling Species of the Persian Parrotia" (PDF) , Arnoldia , 66 (1): 5, ISSN 0004-2633
- 1 2 Haynes, Jake E.; Phillips, Whitney D.; Krings, Alexander; Lynch, Nathan P.; Ranney, Thomas G. (2020). "Revision of Fothergilla (Hamamelidaceae), including resurrection of F. parvifolia and a new species, F. milleri " . PhytoKeys (144): 57–80. doi : 10.3897/phytokeys.144.49589 . PMC 7093572 . PMID 32231461 .
- ↑ Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). pp 169
- ↑ "Fothergilla × intermedia 'Mount Airy' " . www.rhs.org . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved 5 July 2020 .
External links
Taxon identifiers |
|
---|
This Saxifragales -related article is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . |