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Chionanthus caymanensis var. longipetala

(Ironwood)

Overview

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Endangered

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Ironwood

Description

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Family Oleaceae

Trees or erect or scandent shrubs . Branches and branchlets lenticellate . Leaves opposite, rarely alternate or whorled , simple , trifoliolate , or pinnately compound , without stipules; venation pinnate or palmate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary , in cymes, panicles, racemes , umbels, or fascicles. Flowers actinomorphic , bisexual , rarely unisexual or polygamous and plants monoecious, dioecious, or polygamodioecious. Calyx 4(-16) -lobed or -parted, rarely absent. Corolla 4(-16) -lobed, sometimes almost free to base , rarely absent; lobes sometimes united in pairs at base or into a very short tube . Stamens 2(-4), inserted on corolla tube or hypogynous; anthers dehiscing longitudinally; pollen 3-colpate or 3-colporate. Ovary superior, 2-loculed; ovules 2 in each locule, sometimes 1 or numerous . Style 1 or absent; stigma 2-lobed or capitate. Fruit a drupe, berry, capsule, or samara. Seeds with straight embryo, with or without endosperm; radicle curved upward or downward.

About 28 genera and over 400 species: tropical , subtropical , and temperate regions of world, but mainly in Asia. China has 10 genera and 160 species (95 endemic) and is the center of diversity for the genera Forsythia, Syringa, Osmanthus, and Ligustrum.

Many genera are important economically: Fraxinus and Forsythia (medicinal, ornamental ) ; Jasminum, Osmanthus, and Syringa (spice, ornamental) ; Olea (oil ) ; and Fraxinus (timber) .[1]

Genus Chionanthus

Trees or shrubs , usually evergreen . Leaves opposite, simple , petiolate ; leaf blade entire. Inflorescences axillary or rarely terminal panicles, sometimes cymes, umbels, heads , racemes , or fascicles. Flowers bisexual . Calyx small, 4-toothed or 4-lobed. Corolla white or yellow, 4-parted; lobes almost free to base or united into a very short tube or joined in pairs at base, valvate in bud. Stamens 2, inserted at base of corolla lobes; anthers elliptic or long elliptic, subextrorse. Ovules 2 in each locule, pendulous. Style short; stigma entire or 2-cleft. Fruit a drupe; endocarp bony. Seeds usually 1; endosperm fleshy or absent; radicle upward.

About 80 species: tropical and subtropical Africa, America, Asia, and Australia; 7 species in China.

Chionanthus and Linociera were treated as independent genera in FRPS. Although Chionanthus species are evergreen and pantropical and those of Linociera are deciduous and grow in temperature E Asia and North America, the two genera are indistinguishable morphologically and are best treated as one. Chionanthus caudatus (Collett & Hemsley) Bahadur & Gaur has been recorded near the border in Myanmar but not, so far, from China. It would key out at C. ramiflorus in the following key, but would be distinguished by its oblong-elliptic leaf blades with caudate-acuminate apices and petioles 7-10 mm. [2]

Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial [3].

Ecology: Occurring in dry evergreen woodland on dolomite karst.[3].

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Chionanthus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 14 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. axilliflorus (Hueso) · C. caymanensis var. longipetala (Ironwood) · C. compactus (Bridgotree) · C. domingensis (White Rosewood) · C. holdridgei (Hueso Prieto) · C. ligustrinus (Cabra Blanca) · C. pubescens (Arupo) · C. pygmaeus (Pygmy Fringe Tree) · C. retusus (Chinese Fringe Tree) · C. retusus var. serrulatus (Chinese Fringe Tree) · C. retusus 'China Snow' (Chinese Fringe Tree) · C. virginicus (Grancy Gray Beard) · C. virginicus var. virginicus (Davidson's Blue Eyed Mary) · C. virginicus 'Emerald Knight' (Fringe Tree)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mei-chen Chang, Lien-ching Chiu, Zhi Wei & Peter S. Green "Oleaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 15 Page 272. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Chionanthus". in Flora of China Vol. 15 Page 293. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Chionanthus caymanensis var. longipetala. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 2012-07-28