Clethra

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Clethra

Clethra is a genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of between 30-70 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
of flowering shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or small tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s. It is one of two genera in the family Clethraceae

Clethraceae

Clethraceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia and the Americas, with one species also on Madeira....
(the other being Purdiaea
Purdiaea

Purdiaea is a genus of 11-19 species of flowering plants in the Family Clethraceae. It is one of two genera in this family, and was formerly classified in the related family Cyrillaceae....
). The species may be evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
or deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
, and all bear flowers in clusters or inflorescences.

They are distributed from temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
to tropical climates in eastern and southeastern Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Malesia

Malesia

Malesia is a biogeography region straddling the boundary of the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. Malesia was first identified as a floristic province that included the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea, based on a shared tropical flora derived mostly from Asia but also with numerous elements of the Antarctic flo...
, Central America

Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, northern South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
, the southeastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and one species (C. arborea) on the island of Madeira

Madeira

Madeira is a Portugal archipelago in the north Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands....
.

Selected 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 has cut the number accepted for China from 35 to 7 species, and the only recognises two in the United States, synonymising C.

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Encyclopedia

Clethra is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of between 30-70 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
of flowering shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s. It is one of two genera in the family Clethraceae
Clethraceae

Clethraceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia and the Americas, with one species also on Madeira....
(the other being Purdiaea
Purdiaea

Purdiaea is a genus of 11-19 species of flowering plants in the Family Clethraceae. It is one of two genera in this family, and was formerly classified in the related family Cyrillaceae....
). The species may be evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
or deciduous
Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
, and all bear flowers in clusters or inflorescences.

They are distributed from temperate
Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
to tropical climates in eastern and southeastern Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Malesia
Malesia

Malesia is a biogeography region straddling the boundary of the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. Malesia was first identified as a floristic province that included the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea, based on a shared tropical flora derived mostly from Asia but also with numerous elements of the Antarctic flo...
, Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, northern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
, the southeastern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and one species (C. arborea) on the island of Madeira
Madeira

Madeira is a Portugal archipelago in the north Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands....
.

Selected 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 has cut the number accepted for China from 35 to 7 species, and the only recognises two in the United States, synonymising C. tomentosa with C. alnifolia. The following is a selection:
Clethra acuminata Michx. – Mountain Pepper Bush; southeastern United States.
Clethra alnifolia
Clethra alnifolia

Clethra alnifolia , is a flowering plant in the genus Clethra, native to eastern North America from southern Nova Scotia and Maine south to northern Florida, and west to eastern Texas....
L. – Sweet Pepper Bush; eastern United States.
Clethra arborea Ait. – Lily of the Valley Tree; Madeira.
Clethra barbinervis Siebold & Zucc. – Japanese Sweet Shrub; eastern China, Korea, Japan.
Clethra bodinieri – southern China.
Clethra brasiliensis – northeastern South America.
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 pringlei - Mexican Summersweet; northeastern Mexico.
Clethra revoluta – northwestern South America.
Clethra rugosa – northwestern South America.
Clethra scabra – northeastern South America .