Articles
Biodiversity of the excellent ornamental plant Euscaphis japonica
Article number
1185_11
Pages
73 – 78
Language
English
Abstract
Euscaphis japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz, a species in Staphyleaceae, is a small deciduous tree or shrub, which grows in mountain valleys or open forests and is distributed in most provinces of China, especially in areas south of the Yangtze River to Hainan, and in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
In recent years, this species has grown in popularity as an ornamental tree because its pericarp is red in ripe fruits, which can hang on the tree from September to the following March.
The results of this study reveal that there are many morphological variances in the species.
These include a bark that ranges in color from grey to grayish brown, a leaflet blade shape that ranges from elliptical to oblong-ovate to sometimes oblong-lanceolate and rarely ovate, an adaxial leaflet that ranges in color from yellowish green to bottle green, a pericarp that is initially pale green and changes to light red or red brown during fruit ripening, and a seed number per follicle that ranges from 1 to 3. A new variety was found in the southwest of Fujian, China.
It has been named E. japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz var. wupingensis. This new variety is easily distinguished from the protospecies by its yellow pericarp.
Furthermore, a new cultivar with white leaflet blades was selectively bred from the cultivated plants and named E. japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz ‘Silver’.
In recent years, this species has grown in popularity as an ornamental tree because its pericarp is red in ripe fruits, which can hang on the tree from September to the following March.
The results of this study reveal that there are many morphological variances in the species.
These include a bark that ranges in color from grey to grayish brown, a leaflet blade shape that ranges from elliptical to oblong-ovate to sometimes oblong-lanceolate and rarely ovate, an adaxial leaflet that ranges in color from yellowish green to bottle green, a pericarp that is initially pale green and changes to light red or red brown during fruit ripening, and a seed number per follicle that ranges from 1 to 3. A new variety was found in the southwest of Fujian, China.
It has been named E. japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz var. wupingensis. This new variety is easily distinguished from the protospecies by its yellow pericarp.
Furthermore, a new cultivar with white leaflet blades was selectively bred from the cultivated plants and named E. japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz ‘Silver’.
Authors
B.P. Cai, H.Z. Guo, X.Y. Zhang, X. Chen, S.Z. Liu
Keywords
diversity, distribution, new variety, new cultivar
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