Forsythia europaea

Forsythia europaea
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Genus:	Forsythia
Species:	F. europaea
Binomial name
Forsythia europaea Degen & Bald.

Forsythia europaea, commonly known as Albanian forsythia or European forsythia, ^{[2] [3]} is a species of flowering plant in the olive family, with a native range from Montenegro to northern Albania. ^[4] It is the only species of Forsythia native to Europe; ^[2] prior to its discovery in Albania in 1897, it was thought that all Forsythia spp. were native to East Asia. ^[5]

Description

F. europaea is a shrub, ^[6] and can grow up to 10 ft (3 m) tall. ^[7] Its leaves are 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) in length, and are generally entire (smooth edged). ^[8] It produces numerous yellow flowers, ^[5] which are 1.25 in (3.2 cm) in diameter. ^[7]

The shrub produces prolonged elliptical fruit capsules that grow to 5.4−6.0 mm by 1.8−2.2 mm. The fruit capsules have a fine granulate, slightly lustrous, glabrous, gold-yellow to brown appearance. ^[9]

Phylogeny

The closest relative of F. europaea is F. giraldiana, a species of Forsythia native to China. ^[10]

Cultivation

F. europaea was first cultivated in 1899, at Kew Gardens in London, United Kingdom. ^[7] It is not as widely cultivated as other species of Forsythia as it is not as ornamental, ^[6] although it is still occasionally grown in parks and gardens. ^{[6] [11]}

Cultivars produced by hybridisation of F. europaea with F. ovata, a more ornamental species of Forsythia native to Korea, ^[12] include:

• Forsythia 'Meadowlark', which was developed at North Dakota State University. ^[13] It produces deep-yellow flowers from its third year onwards, ^[14] the buds of which are hardy to −35 °F (−37 °C). ^[15] Its leaves are ivy-green. ^[14]
• Forsythia 'Northern Sun', which was developed at the University of Minnesota. ^[13] It grows 10 ft (3 m) tall and 8 ft (2.4 m) wide. ^[16] Plants produce large, gold-coloured flowers, ^[16] the buds of which are hardy to −30 °F (−34 °C). ^[15]

References

1. Shuka, L.; Rivers, M.C. (2017). "Forsythia europaea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
2. "Forsythia europaea (FOSEU)". gd.eppo.int. 2002-02-14. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
3. "Forsythia europaea | Albanian forsythia". rhs.org.uk. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
4. "Forsythia europaea Degen & Bald". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
5. Wilson, Ernest Henry (1930). "For many years". Bulletin of Popular Information (Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University). 4 (3): 12. doi: 10.5962/p.322127 . ISSN   0196-6057. JSTOR   42961929. S2CID   239435277.
6. DeWolf, Gordon P.; Hebb, Robert S. (1971). "The Story of Forsythia". Arnoldia. 31 (2): 41–63. ISSN   0004-2633. JSTOR   42953867.
7. Wilson, Ernest Henry (1928). "Forsythia europaea". Bulletin of Popular Information (Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University). 2 (1): 4. doi: 10.5962/p.321901 . ISSN   0196-6057. JSTOR   42962296. S2CID   253930976.
8. "The Forsythias" (PDF). Bulletin of Popular Information (Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University). 4. 4 (1): 1–8. 2 April 1937.
9. Bojnanský, Vít; Fargašová, Agáta (2007-09-17). Atlas of Seeds and Fruits of Central and East-European Flora: The Carpathian Mountains Region. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   978-1-4020-5362-7.
10. Kim, Ki-Joong (1999-03-01). "Molecular phylogeny of Forsythia (Oleaceae) based on chloroplast DNA variation". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 218 (1): 113–123. doi:10.1007/BF01087039. ISSN   1615-6110. S2CID   25856546.
11. OLEKSIICHENKO, Nadiia; GATALSKA, Nadiia; MAVKO, Mariana (2018). "The Colour-Forming Components of Park Landscape and the Factors That Influence the Human Perception of the Landscape Colouring". Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management. 13 (2): 38–52. ISSN   2065-3913. JSTOR   26422068.
12. Anderson, Edgar (1934). "HARDY FORSYTHIAS: With a Short Account of the History of Garden Forsythias and Remarks Regarding Their Possible Future Development". Bulletin of Popular Information (Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University). 2 (3): 9–14. doi: 10.5962/p.322249 . ISSN   0196-6057. JSTOR   42962071.
13. Mahr, Susan (18 April 2016). "Forsythia, Forsythia spp" (PDF). Wisconsin Master Gardener. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
14. Herman, Dale E.; Evers, Norman P. (1984). "More on Forsythia 'Meadowlark'". Arnoldia. 44 (2): 30–31. ISSN   0004-2633. JSTOR   42954190.
15. "Forsythia x intermedia". hvp.osu.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
16. "Forsythia 'Northern Sun'". www.chicagobotanic.org. Chicago Botanic Garden. Retrieved 2021-04-02.