''Disanthus cercidifolius'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Hamamelidaceae
Hamamelidaceae, commonly referred to as the witch-hazel family, is a family of flowering plants in the order Saxifragales. The clade consists of shrubs and small trees positioned within the woody clade of the core Saxifragales. An earlier syste ...
. It is
native to woodland habitats in
China and
Japan.
Nomenclature
The term ''Disanthus'' refers to the flowers that come in axillary pairs. The Latin
specific epithet ''cercidifolius'' means "with leaves like the redbud tree (''
Cercis
''Cercis'' is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as redbuds. They are characterised by simp ...
'')".
The epithet was originally spelled ''D. cercidifolia''. The
International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants stipulates that the Latin
grammatical gender
In linguistics, grammatical gender system is a specific form of noun class system, where nouns are assigned with gender categories that are often not related to their real-world qualities. In languages with grammatical gender, most or all noun ...
is masculine, and so the spelling is ''D. cercidifolius''.
Description
''Disanthus cercidifolius'' is a medium-sized
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
shrub growing to tall and wide. It is noted for its heart-shaped leaves which turn to shades of red, purple and yellow in autumn.
;Varieties
*''Disanthus cercidifolius'' var. ''longipes'' —
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to China.
Cultivation
''Disanthus cercidifolius'' is cultivated as an
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
. It is a
calcifuge
A calcifuge is a plant that does not tolerate alkaline (basic) soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to flee from chalk'. These plants are also described as ericaceous, as the prototypical calcifuge is the genus '' Erica'' (heaths). It is not ...
, requiring a lime-free soil.
The plant has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit.
'Ena Nishiki' is a variegated cultivar with white and green foliage while 'Golden Crown' is a white and yellow variegated cultivar.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10912510
Hamamelidaceae
Flora of China
Flora of Japan
Garden plants of Asia
Taxa named by Karl Maximovich