Enkianthus

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Enkianthus
Enkianthus perulatus3.jpg
Enkianthus perulatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Subfamily: Enkianthoideae
Kron & al.
Genus: Enkianthus
Lour.
Species

12-15, see text

Synonyms [1]
  • BodinieriellaH.Lév.
  • EnkyanthusDC.
  • MeisteriaSiebold & Zucc.
  • MelidoraNoronha ex Salisb.
  • TritomodonTurcz.

Enkianthus is a genus of shrubs or small trees in the heath family, Ericaceae . [1] [2] [3] Its native range is in Asia, as far west as the eastern Himalayas, as far south as Indochina, and as far north and east as China and Japan. [3]

Contents

This genus is considered cladistically the most basal member of the Ericaceae, that is, the descendant of the common ancestor of that Ericaceae that branched earliest from the rest of that family. It is classified as the sole member of the subfamily Enkianthoideae.

Species

Twelve to fifteen species are included in the genus by various authors. [4] Species include: [3] [5]

ImageNameCommon nameDistribution
Enkianthus campanulatus 4.JPG Enkianthus campanulatus (Miq.) G. Nicholsonredvein enkianthusJapan
Enkianthus cernuus f. rubens 1.JPG Enkianthus cernuus (Sieb. & Zucc.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Makino Japan
Enkianthus chinensis.jpg Enkianthus chinensis Franch. China
Enkianthus deflexus stem.jpg Enkianthus deflexus (Griff.) C.K.Schneid. China, Himalaya, Nepal
Enkianthus nudipes (Honda) Ohwi
Enkianthus pallidiflorus Craib
Enkianthus pauciflorus E.H.Wilson China
Enkianthus perulatus3.jpg Enkianthus perulatus C.K.Schneid.China, Japan
Enkianthus quinqueflorus in Hong Kong.jpg Enkianthus quinqueflorus Lour. China
Enkianthus recurvus Craib
Enkianthus ruber Dop Vietnam
Enkianthus sikokianus 1.JPG Enkianthus sikokianus (Palib.) Ohwi
Enkianthus subsessilis 1.JPG Enkianthus subsessilis (Miq.) Makino
Enkianthus serotinus Chun & W.P.Fang China
Enkianthus serrulatus (E.H.Wilson) C.K.Schneid.China
Enkianthus taiwanianus T.S.Ying Taiwan
Enkianthus tectus Craib
Enkianthus tubulatus P. C. Tam.

Cultivation

Several species are found in cultivation, notably E. campanulatus, E. cernuus and E. perulatus. E. cernuus f. rubens (drooping red enkianthus) has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [6] [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Enkianthus Lour". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  2. "Enkianthus Lour". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Enkianthus Loureiro". Flora of China.
  4. Sarwar, A. and H. Takahashi (2006). Pollen morphology of Enkianthus (Ericaceae) and its taxonomic significance. Grana 45 161-74.
  5. Enkianthus. BioLib.cz.
  6. "RHS Plantfinder - Enkianthus cernuus f. rubens" . Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  7. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 35. Retrieved 24 January 2018.