OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Clethra alnifolia   FAMILY Cyrillaceae   Go to FSUS key



INCLUDED WITHIN PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Clethra alnifolia   FAMILY Clethraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Clethra alnifolia var. alnifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America

Clethra alnifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 143-01-002a:

Clethra alnifolia var. alnifolia   FAMILY Clethraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Clethra alnifolia

 

COMMON NAME:
Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_clal3_001_lvd

        

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide    pnd_clal3_006_lvd

        

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

JK Marlow    jkm160416_264

April    Lowndes County    GA

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_clethra_alnifolia_2

July        

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_clethra_alnifolia_3

July        

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_clethra_alnifolia_4b

July        

Pedicels 2-4mm, shortly stellate-hairy; bract shorter than flower, per Flora of North America.

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_clethra_alnifolia_4c

July        

Bright white flowers in showy terminal racemes beyond the uppermost leaves, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

JK Marlow    jkm0308a_16

August    Williamsburg County    SC

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

JK Marlow    jkm0508h_06b

August    Greenville County    SC

In cultivation

Small flowers with long stamens, a protruding style, and a spicy fragrance, per Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002).

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

JK Marlow    jkm0508h_08b

August    Greenville County    SC

In cultivation

Fruit a hairy, spherical capsule within a persistent calyx, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

JK Marlow    jkm0509a_25

September    Greenville County    SC

In cultivation

image of Clethra alnifolia, Coastal Sweet-pepperbush, Coastal White-alder

JK Marlow    s050902_g

September    Greenville County    SC

In cultivation

Leaves sharply toothed (on upper half of blade), w parallel lateral veins, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Clethra and Itea

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Clethra alnifolia   FAMILY Cyrillaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Clethra alnifolia   FAMILY Clethraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Clethra alnifolia var. alnifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Clethra alnifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 143-01-002a:
Clethra alnifolia var. alnifolia   FAMILY Clethraceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Clethra alnifolia

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

346

Shrub
Perennial

Habitat: pocosins, blackwater swamp forests, nonriverine swamp forests, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate

FLOWER:
Summer
White
5 sepals
5 petals
10 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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