Clethra acuminata

Clethra acuminata, the mountain pepper bush, is a shrub native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States.[3] It has been reported from the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, primarily from deciduous forests at elevations of 500–1,400 m (1,600–4,600 ft).[4]

Clethra acuminata

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Clethraceae
Genus: Clethra
Species:
C. acuminata
Binomial name
Clethra acuminata
Michx.
Synonyms[2]
  • Clethra alnifolia var. michauxii (Courtois) G. Nicholson
  • Clethra glauca Pers.
  • Clethra glauca Steud.
  • Clethra michauxii Courtois
  • Clethra montana Fraser ex Loisel.

Description

Clethra acuminata can reach as high as 6 m (20 ft) tall. It has alternately arranged, acuminate leaves with fine teeth along the margins, 8–20 cm (3.1–7.9 in) long, glabrous above and slightly hairy or glabrous underneath.

Bark on older plants splits and peels in thin sheets, revealing cinnamon colored bark underneath.[4][5][6][7]

Inflorescences are 3–8 inches (7.6–20.3 cm) racemes with bell-shaped white flowers.[6]

Cultivation

Clethra acuminata should be grown in moist soil, and has been marked as a pollinator plant, supporting and attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and honeybees.[8]

Pictures of Clethra acuminata (mountain pepper bush)
  • Close up of peeling cinnamon-colored bark of Clethra acuminata
    Peeling cinnamon-colored bark of Clethra acuminata
  • Close up of peeling cinnamon-colored bark of Clethra acuminata with thin sheets visible sticking out from the branch
    Another example of the peeling cinnamon-colored bark of Clethra acuminata
  • Raceme inflorescences with many small white flowers on light green stems and dark green leaves in the background
    Inflorescence of Clethra acuminata

References
  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Clethra acuminata, Mountain Sweet-pepperbush". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. The Plant List
  3. Thomas, J. L. 1961. The genera of the Cyrillaceae and Clethraceae of the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 42: 96-106.
  4. "Clethra acuminata in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Archived from the original on 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  5. Michaux, André. Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 260. 1803.
  6. "Clethra acuminata (Cinnamonbark Clethra, Cinnamon Clethra, Mountain Pepperbush, Mountain Sweet-pepperbush) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  7. Swanson, Robert (1994). A Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Southern Appalachians. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-4555-0.
  8. "Planting Guides" (PDF). Pollinator.org. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
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