Citharexylum

Citharexylum
Citharexylum
C. caudatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Citharexylum
L.
Type species
Citharexylum spinosum
(L.)[1]
Species

See text

Citharexylum is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae.[2] It contains 70 to 100 shrub and tree species[3] commonly known as Fiddlewoods or Zitherwoods.[4] They are native to the Americas, ranging from southern Florida and Texas in the United States to Argentina. The highest diversity occurs in Mexico and the Andes.[5] The generic name is derived from the Greek words κιθάρα (kithara), meaning "lyre", and ξύλον (xylon), meaning "wood," referring to the use of the wood in the sounding boards of string instruments.[6][7] Several species, especially C. caudatum and C. spinosum, are cultivated as ornamentals.[3]

Contents

Selected species

  • Citharexylum berlandieri B.L.Rob. – Berlandier's Fiddlewood, Tamaulipan Fiddlewood
  • Citharexylum brachyanthum (A.Gray) A.Gray – Boxthorn Fiddlewood, Mexican Fiddlewood
  • Citharexylum caudatum L. – Juniper Berry
  • Citharexylum gentryi Moldenke
  • Citharexylum montevidense Moldenke
  • Citharexylum myrianthum Cham.
  • Citharexylum poeppigii Walp.
  • Citharexylum spinosum L. – Spiny Fiddlewood
  • Citharexylum tristachyum Turcz. – Threespike Fiddlewood[8][9]

Formerly placed here

  • Rhaphithamnus spinosus (Juss.) Moldenke (as. C. cyanocarpum Hook. & Arn.)[8]

References

  1. ^ "Citharexylum L.". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. http://tropicos.org/Name/40009390. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
  2. ^ "Genus: Citharexylum L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2005-01-29. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?2635. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 
  3. ^ a b Whistler, W. Arthur (2000). Tropical Ornamentals: a Guide. Timber Press. pp. 128–130. ISBN 9780881924756. 
  4. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C. CRC Press. p. 544. ISBN 9780849326752. http://books.google.com/books?id=esMPU5DHEGgC&. 
  5. ^ Aymard, Gerardo A.; Ricardo M. Rueda (Summer 1997). "A New Species of Citharexylum (Verbenaceae) from Ecuador". Novon 7 (2): 95–97. JSTOR 3392177. 
  6. ^ Burke, Don (2005). The Complete Burke's Backyard: the Ultimate Book of Fact Sheets. Murdoch Books. p. 116. ISBN 9781740457392. http://books.google.com/books?id=MMMjW6AuzHAC&. 
  7. ^ Austin, Daniel F. (2004). Florida Ethnobotany. CRC Press. pp. 217–219. ISBN 9780849323324. http://books.google.com/books?id=eS7lX_rC3GEC. 
  8. ^ a b "GRIN Species Records of Citharexylum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?2635. Retrieved 2010-09-13. 
  9. ^ "Citharexylum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=32147. Retrieved 25 January 2010. 

External links

Media related to Citharexylum at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Citharexylum at Wikispecies


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