Styrax platanifolius
| Styrax platanifolius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Styracaceae |
| Genus: | Styrax |
| Species: | S. platanifolius |
| Binomial name | |
| Styrax platanifolius Engelm. | |
Styrax platanifolius is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae known by the common name sycamoreleaf snowbell.[1] It is native to northeastern Mexico in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas[2] and the US state of Texas, especially on the Edwards Plateau.[3]
This is a shrub which can grow to 6 meters. The leaves are variable in shape, generally oval with smooth, toothed, or lobed edges, and measuring 4.5 to 12 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or cluster of up to 7. The bell-shaped white flower is 1 or 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a hairy, spherical capsule about a centimeter long.[2]
There are five subspecies of this plant.[2] Some were formerly considered species, but genetic analysis suggests they are more closely related and should be treated as subtaxa of one species.[4] The subspecies are mostly characterized on the basis of the amount and arrangement of hairs on the leaves and other parts.[2]
Subspecies:[2]
- S. p. ssp. mollis - known from the Sierra Madre Oriental in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas in Mexico.
- S. p. ssp. platanifolius - once the most widespread subspecies and now quite rare.
- S. p. ssp. stellatus (hairy sycamoreleaf snowbell) - formerly S. stellatus, a rare subspecies found along the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau
- S. p. ssp. texanus (Texas snowbell) - formerly S. texana or S. texanus, rare and federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.[5][6] There are about 22 populations remaining in the state of Texas.[4]
- S. p. ssp. youngiae (Young's snowbell) - formerly S. youngiae, occurs in Coahuila and possibly in the Davis Mountains of Texas.
References
- ↑ "Styrax platanifolius". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Styrax platanifolius. Flora of North America.
- ↑ Styrax platanifolius. The Nature Conservancy.
- 1 2 USFWS. Styrax platanifolius ssp. texana Five-year Review. September 2008.
- ↑ Styrax platanifolius ssp. texanus. Texas Parks & Wildlife.
- ↑ Styrax texanus. Center for Plant Conservation.