Photinia serratifolia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Photinia |
Species: | P. serratifolia |
Binomial name | |
Photinia serratifolia | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Photinia serratifolia (syn. Photinia serrulata), commonly called Taiwanese photinia [2] or Chinese photinia is a flowering shrub or tree in the flowering plants family Rosaceae, found in mixed forests of China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India. [3]
The tree is evergreen, with white flowers emerging in spring accompanied by red-colored leaves, and red fruits growing in autumn. It grows typically 4–6 m (13–20 ft), sometimes up to 12 m (39 ft), tall. [3] Its leaves are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides. [4] The flowers, blossoming in spring, typically last for one to two weeks. Its flowers are known to have a strong scent similar to that of human semen. The flowers have bell-shaped sepals split into five lobes, and around 20 stamens. The Ovary contains two to four locules, with one ovule in each locule. The tree produces a high amount of bright, red colored fruits that are small pomes with diameters ranging from 4–12 millimetres (0.16–0.47 inches), each containing one to four seeds. The fruits, which ripen in autumn and survive through winter, are a food source to various kinds of birds, including thrushes, waxwings, and starlings. The seeds spread primarily through bird excretions. [3]
The tree is typically found at altitudes from sea level to 2,500 metres (8,000 ft). It is found in mixed forests of central and southern China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India. [3]
Three varieties of the species are recognized in the Flora of China: [3] [5]
The tree is widely used as a greening plant in some mainland Chinese cities, due to the relative ease to plant and maintain, and the tree being less demanding for its surrounding environments. In Wuhan, where the tree is in its native range, the tree is planted by the sides of all major avenues, as well as in the Wuhan University. However, due to the strong, semen-like odor from its flowers filling the entire city in spring, some Wuhan residents have complained that the tree should be removed and other trees should be planted instead. [6] [7]
Aesculus pavia, known as red buckeye or firecracker plant, is a species of deciduous flowering plant. The small tree or shrub is native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States, found from Illinois to Virginia in the north and from Texas to Florida in the south. It is hardy far to the north of its native range, with successful cultivation poleward to Arboretum Mustila in Finland.
Cercidiphyllum is a genus containing two species of plants, both commonly called katsura. They are the sole members of the monotypic family Cercidiphyllaceae. The genus is native to Japan and China and unrelated to Cercis (redbuds).
Photinia is a genus of about 30 species of small trees and large shrubs, but the taxonomy has recently varied greatly, with the genera Heteromeles, Stranvaesia and Aronia sometimes included in Photinia.
Rosa chinensis, known commonly as the China rose, Chinese rose, or Bengal rose, is a member of the genus Rosa native to Southwest China in Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan Provinces. The first publication of Rosa chinensis was in 1768 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in Observationum Botanicarum, 3, p. 7 & plate 55.
Amelanchier canadensis is a species of Amelanchier native to eastern North America in Canada from Newfoundland west to southern Ontario, and in the United States from Maine south to Alabama. It is largely restricted to wet sites, particularly on the Atlantic coastal plain, growing at altitudes from sea level up to 200 m.
Thalictrum dioicum, the early meadow-rue or quicksilver-weed, is a species of herbaceous plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Plants are typically upright growing woodland natives from Colorado Rocky Mountain forests to central and eastern North America including parts of south eastern Canada. This species has dioecious plants, with male and female flowers on separate plants blooming in early to mid spring.
Acalypha rhomboidea is a plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.
Pieris japonica, the Japanese andromeda or Japanese pieris, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan, where it grows in mountain thickets. This medium-sized evergreen shrub or tree is widely cultivated in gardens.
Malus baccata is an Asian species of apple known by the common names Siberian crab apple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to many parts of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and for rootstock. It is used for bonsai. It bears plentiful, fragrant, white flowers and edible red to yellow fruit of about 1 cm diameter.
Thalictrum fendleri is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Fendler's meadow-rue. It is named in honor of Augustus Fendler.
Sapindus saponaria is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree native to the Americas. Common names include wingleaf soapberry, western soapberry, jaboncillo, sulluku and manele and a'e (Hawaiian). Its genus name, "Sapindus", comes from the Latin, meaning Indian soap, and its specific epithet means "soapy."
Pyrus pashia, the wild Himalayan pear, is a small to medium size deciduous tree of the small and oval shaped crown with ovate, finely toothed leaves, attractive white flowers with red anthers and small pear-like fruits. It is a fruit bearing tree that is native to southern Asia. Locally, it is known by many names such as batangi (Urdu), tangi (Kashmiri), mahal mol (Hindi) and passi (Nepal).
Zanthoxylum armatum, also called winged prickly ash or rattan pepper in English, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It is an aromatic, deciduous, spiny shrub growing to 3.5 metres (11 ft) in height, endemic from Pakistan across to Southeast Asia and up to Korea and Japan. It is one of the sources of the spice Sichuan pepper, and also used in folk medicine, essential oil production and as an ornamental garden plant.
Pyrenaria microcarpa is an evergreen plant in the family Theaceae. It is native from southern mainland China, east to Taiwan, and south to Myanmar and Vietnam.
Paris polyphylla is an Asian species of flowering plant native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Indochina. It produces spider-like flowers that throw out long, thread-like, yellowish green petals throughout most of the warm summer months and into the autumn. In the fall, the flowers are followed by small, scarlet berries. It is a perennial, which slowly spreads, is fully hardy in Britain, and survives in leafy, moist soil in either complete or partial shade.
The micrantha is a wild citrus from the papeda group, native to southern Philippines, particularly islands of Cebu and Bohol. Two varieties are recognized: small-flowered papeda, locally known as biasong, and small-fruited papeda or samuyao.
Berberis bealei, also known as leatherleaf mahonia, Beale's barberry, is a species of evergreen shrub native to mainland China. The species has been regarded as the same species as Berberis japonica, native to Taiwan, but the two differ consistently in certain floral and leaf characters. Both species are widely cultivated in many countries as ornamentals. Berberis bealei has reportedly escaped cultivation and become established in the wild in scattered places in the south-eastern United States from Arkansas to Florida to Delaware.
Davidia involucrata, the dove-tree, handkerchief tree, pocket handkerchief tree, or ghost tree, is a medium-sized deciduous tree in the family Nyssaceae. It is the only living species in the genus Davidia. It was previously included with tupelos in the dogwood family, Cornaceae. Fossil species are known extending into the Upper Cretaceous.
Rhododendron arizelum (夺目杜鹃) is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is native to northeastern Myanmar, southeastern Tibet, and western Yunnan, China, where it grows at altitudes of 2,500–4,000 m (8,200–13,100 ft). It is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to 3–7 m (9.8–23.0 ft) in height, with leathery leaves that are obovate or obovate-elliptic, and 9–19 × 4–8 cm in size. The flowers are white, pale yellow, or pink, with a crimson basal blotch.
Photinia beauverdiana, known commonly as the Christmas berry, is a type of deciduous shrub or tree that was validly published by Camillo Karl Schneider in 1906.