Overview
Clethraceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia and the Americas, with one species also on Madeira. The family comprises two genera, Clethra and Purdiaea.
In the past, most botanists included only Clethra in the family, but recent research has shown that the genus Purdiaea, previously placed in the closely related family Cyrillaceae, is more closely allied to Clethra (Anderberg & Zhang 2002).
- Clethraceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Clethraceae
- Anderberg, A. A. & Zhang, Z. (2002). Phylogenetic relationshi ps of Cyrillaceae and Clethraceae (Ericales) with special emphasis on the genus Purdiaea. Organisms, Div. & Evol. 2: 127?137.
Taxonomy
The Family Clethraceae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Genus (3): Clethra · Purdiaea · Tinus
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 248 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Family Clethraceae.
Genera
Clethra
Clethra is a genus of between 30-70 species of flowering shrubs or small trees. It 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 or inflorescences. [more]
Purdiaea
Purdiaea is a of 11-19 species of flowering plants in the family Clethraceae. It is one of two genera in this family, and was formerly classified in the related family Cyrillaceae. Purdiaea is native to tropical regions of the Caribbean (with the highest species diversity on Cuba), Central America and northern South America, further south than the related genus Clethra, the only other genus of this family. [more]
Tinus
At least 48 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Tinus.
More info about the Genus Tinus may be found here.
References
- Clethraceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Clethraceae
- Anderberg, A. A. & Zhang, Z. (2002). Phylogenetic relationships of Cyrillaceae and Clethraceae (Ericales) with special emphasis on the genus Purdiaea. Organisms, Div. & Evol. 2: 127–137.
Sources
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