Fothergilla
| Fothergilla | |
|---|---|
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| Fothergilla gardenii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Hamamelidaceae |
| Genus: | Fothergilla Murr. |
| Species | |
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Fothergilla gardenii |
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Fothergilla (fothergilla or witchalder) is a genus of two or three species of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, native to the southeastern United States.
They are deciduous shrubs growing to 1–3 m tall with downy twigs. 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. The flowers 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.
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- Species
- Fothergilla gardenii Dwarf Fothergilla or Dwarf Witchalder
- †Fothergilla malloryi Fossil from the Eocene[1][2]
- 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Jianhua Li and Peter Del Tredici (2008), "The Chinese Parrotia: A Sibling Species of the Persian Parrotia", Arnoldia 66 (1): 5, ISSN 004–2633, http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1902.pdf
- ^ 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
[edit] External links
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