Cephalanthus
| Cephalanthus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cephalanthus occidentalis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cinchonoideae |
| Tribe: | Naucleeae |
| Genus: | Cephalanthus L. |
| Type species | |
| Cephalanthus occidentalis | |
| Synonyms | |
Cephalanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. There are about six species that are commonly known as buttonbush.[1][2]
Description
They are shrubs or small trees growing to 5–15 m (16–49 ft) tall. The leaves are simple, arranged in opposite pairs or whorls of three. The flowers form a dense globular inflorescence.
Distribution and habitat
Cephalanthus occidentalis is native to the eastern United States and Canada. The others occur in tropical regions of the Americas, Africa and Asia.[3] Two species are known in cultivation.[4]
Systematics
Cephalanthus was named by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753.[5] The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words κέφαλος (kephalos), meaning "head", and ἄνθος (anthos), meaning "flower".[6]
Taxonomy
Cephalanthus is the most basal genus in the tribe Naucleeae.[7] Some authors have segregated it into its own monotypic tribe.[8] The type species is Cephalanthus occidentalis.[9]
Species
- Cephalanthus angustifolius Lour. - Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
- Cephalanthus glabratus (Spreng.) K.Schum. - sarandí - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay
- Cephalanthus natalensis Oliv. - Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa
- Cephalanthus occidentalis L. - button-willow, common buttonbush, honey-bells - Cuba, eastern Canada, eastern, central and southern United States, California, Arizona, New Mexico
- Cephalanthus salicifolius Humb. & Bonpl. - Mexican buttonbush, willowleaf buttonbush - Mexico, Honduras, extreme southern tip of Texas
- Cephalanthus tetrandra (Roxb.) Ridsdale & Bakh.f. - tropical Asia from India to China and Thailand
References
- ^ The Plant List, Cephalanthus
- ^ Flora of China, Cephalanthus
- ^ Mabberley DJ (2008). Mabberley's Plant Book (3 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4.
- ^ Huxley AJ et al. (eds.) The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London; The Stockton Press, New York. 1992. ISBN 978-0-333-47494-5
- ^ Carolus Linnaeus. Cephalanthus. Species Plantarum. 1753. 1: 95. Holmiae: Impensis Laurentii Salvii: Stockholm, Sweden.
- ^ Quattrocchi U (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. 1. Boca Raton, New York, Washington DC, London: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
- ^ Manns, U. and B. Bremer. 2010. Towards a better understanding of intertribal relationships and stable tribal delimitations within Cinchonoideae s.s. (Rubiaceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56(1), 21-39. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.002
- ^ Ridsdale CE (1976). "A revision of the tribe Cephalantheae (Rubiaceae)". Blumea. 23 (1): 177–88.
- ^ Cephalanthus. Index Nominum Genericorum. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.