Enkianthus is a genus of shrubs or small trees in the heath family (Ericaceae).[1] 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.[1]

Enkianthus
Enkianthus perulatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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

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 edit

Twelve to fifteen species are included in the genus by various authors.[2] Species include:[1][3]

Image Name Common name Distribution
  Enkianthus campanulatus (Miq.) G. Nicholson redvein enkianthus Japan
  Enkianthus cernuus (Sieb. & Zucc.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Makino Japan
  Enkianthus chinensis Franch. China
  Enkianthus deflexus (Griff.) C.K.Schneid. China, Himalaya, Nepal
Enkianthus nudipes (Honda) Ohwi
Enkianthus pallidiflorus Craib
Enkianthus pauciflorus E.H.Wilson China
  Enkianthus perulatus C.K.Schneid. China, Japan
  Enkianthus quinqueflorus Lour. China
Enkianthus recurvus Craib
Enkianthus ruber Dop Vietnam
  Enkianthus sikokianus (Palib.) Ohwi
  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 edit

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.[4][5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Enkianthus Loureiro". Flora of China.
  2. ^ Sarwar, A. and H. Takahashi (2006). Pollen morphology of Enkianthus (Ericaceae) and its taxonomic significance. Grana 45 161-74.
  3. ^ Enkianthus. BioLib.cz.
  4. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Enkianthus cernuus f. rubens". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  5. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 35. Retrieved 24 January 2018.