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Cliftonia

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Cliftonia' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/cliftonia/). Accessed 2024-11-09.

Family

  • Cyrillaceae

Species in genus

Glossary

axillary
Situated in an axil.
family
A group of genera more closely related to each other than to genera in other families. Names of families are identified by the suffix ‘-aceae’ (e.g. Myrtaceae) with a few traditional exceptions (e.g. Leguminosae).
inflorescence
Flower-bearing part of a plant; arrangement of flowers on the floral axis.

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Cliftonia' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/cliftonia/). Accessed 2024-11-09.

The genus (of which this is the only known species) commemorates Francis Clifton, F.R.S., a physician and friend of Sir Hans Sloane. He died in Jamaica in 1736. It belongs to a small family of which the only other species cultivated out-of-doors in the British Isles is Cyrilla racemiflora, also the only species of its genus. This is easily distinguished by its five stamens to each flower and axillary racemes. The family Cyrillaceae is allied to the Holly family (Aquifoliaceae), from which it differs in the racemose inflorescence and dry fruit.