Gillena Adans. 1763, illegitimate superfluous name
Cuellaria Ruiz & Pav.
Crossophrys Klotzsch
Kowalewskia Turcz.
Clethra is a
genus of flowering
shrubs or small
trees described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.[1][6]
Clethra is one of two genera in the family
Clethraceae (the other being Purdiaea). The species may be
evergreen or
deciduous, and all bear
flowers in clusters (inflorescences), which correspond to
racemes or
panicles. The flowers are quite small, white or pinkish, and each bear 5 free
petals, numerous stamens, and a 3-chambered seed capsule. The
leaves, simple, ovate, and alternate or opposite, bear characteristic stellate
hairs. The seeds are very small and numerous.[7]
Distribution
Clethra species are
native to a variety of habitats, including swamps, woodland, and rocky sites[8] from
temperate to
tropical climates in eastern and southeastern Asia,
Malesia,
North and
South America, and one species (C. arborea) on the island of
Madeira.[2]
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 Flora of China (series)[10] has cut the number accepted for China from 35 to seven species, and the
US Department of Agriculture[11] recognises only two in the United States,
synonymisingC. tomentosa with C. alnifolia. The following are accepted by the
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families:[2]
^Guía de Arboles de Bolivia by Killeen, T.J.; García E., E.; & Beck, S.G. (eds.). Bolivia: Herbario Nacional de Bolivia and Missouri Botanical Garden. 1993. p. 214.
^RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136.
ISBN978-1405332965.
^Angiosperm Fruits and Seeds from the Middle Miocene of Jutland (Denmark)
by
Else Marie Friis, The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters 24:3, 1985