Garrya ovata

Garrya ovata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Garryales
Family: Garryaceae
Genus: Garrya
Species:
G. ovata
Binomial name
Garrya ovata
Synonyms[1]

Fadyenia ovata (Benth.) Endl.

Garrya ovata, the eggleaf silktassel, Mexican silktassel, or eggleaf garrya, is a plant species native to New Mexico, Texas, and to central and northern Mexico.

The plant is usually found as an understory species in moist forests, such as Madrean pine-oak woodlands.

Description

Garrya ovata is a shrub up to 6–8 feet (1.8–2.4 m) tall and wide.[2] The leaves are thick and leathery, ovate, up to 10 cm (4 in) long, tomentose on both sides when young, at maturity glabrous above but tomentose below.[3][4][5]

Flowers are arranged in pendulous (hanging) racemes, and are green. It blooms in March through May.[2]

Fruits are dark blue, spherical, up to 8 mm (0.31 in) in diameter.[6]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are currently recognized, regarded by some authors as separate species:[1][7]

  • Garrya ovata subsp. ovata
  • Garrya ovata subsp. goldmanii — (Wooton & Standl.) Dahling
  • Garrya ovata subsp. lindheimeri — (Torr.) Dahling

Of the three, only Garrya ovata subsp. lindheimeri is found within the United States.

References

  1. ^ a b The Plant List
  2. ^ a b NPIN
  3. ^ Bentham, George. 1839. Plantas Hartwegianas imprimis Mexicanas 14.
  4. ^ Carranza González, Eleazar. 1996. Garryaceae. Flora del Bajío y de Regiones Adyacentes 49:1-16. Instituto de Ecología.
  5. ^ Dahling, G. V. 1978. Systematics and evolution of Garrya. Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. 209: 1–104.
  6. ^ Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas i–xv, 1–1881. The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson.
  7. ^ CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City.
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