Fothergilla

Fothergilla (fothergilla or witchalder) is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...

 of two or three species of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...

s in the family Hamamelidaceae

Hamamelidaceae

The Hamamelidaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Saxifragales, including 27 genera and about 80-90 species, all shrubs and small trees...

, native to the southeastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

They are 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...

 shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s growing to 1–3 m tall with downy twigs. The leaves

Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...

 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. The flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...

s are produced in spring on terminal spikes; they do not have any petals, but have a conspicuous cluster of white stamens 2–3 cm long.


Species

• Fothergilla gardenii
  Fothergilla gardenii
  Fothergilla gardenii is a flowering plant in the Hamamelidaceae family.-References:*Thomas G. Ranney and Nathan P. Lynch, Clarifying Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Fothergilla Cultivars and Hybrids, HORTSCIENCE 42:470–473. 2007....
  
  Dwarf Fothergilla or Dwarf Witchalder
• †Fothergilla malloryi Fossil from the Eocene
  Eocene
  The Eocene epoch, lasting from 55.8 ± 0.2 to 33.9 ± 0.1 Ma , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene epoch. The start of the...
  
  
• Fothergilla major Large Fothergilla or Large Witchalder
• Fothergilla monticola Alabama Fothergilla or Alabama Witchalder; commonly included in F. major

The genus was named in honor of physician John Fothergill

John Fothergill (physician)

John Fothergill FRS , was an English physician, plant collector, philanthropist and Quaker.- Life and work :...

.

Cultivation and uses

Fothergillas are grown as ornamental plant

Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...

s for their spring flowers and fall foliage color. They are slow-growing, rarely exceeding 1–2 m tall in cultivation.

External links

• Fothergilla major images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu