''Leucothoe'' is a genus of about 6 species 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 ...

s in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

, native to

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. Many species have the common name doghobble. ''Leucothoe'' species contain

grayanotoxin Grayanotoxins are a group of closely related neurotoxins named after '' Leucothoe grayana'', a plant native to Japan originally named for 19th century American botanist Asa Gray. Grayanotoxin I (grayanotaxane-3,5,6,10,14,16-hexol 14-acetate) is als ...

s, a group of closely related neurotoxins named after ''Leucothoe grayana'', native to Japan. They are shrubs growing to 1–3 m tall, either

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, ...

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

depending on species. The leaves are alternate, oblong-lanceolate, 2–15 cm long. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are produced in racemes 3–15 cm long, each flower bell-shaped, 4–20 mm long, white or occasionally pink. ;Selected species *'' Leucothoe axillaris'' (coastal doghobble; southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

) *'' Leucothoe davisiae'' (black laurel; Sierra Nevada, northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

) *''

Leucothoe fontanesiana ''Leucothoe fontanesiana'', also known as the highland doghobble, fetter-bush, mountain doghobble or switch ivy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to the southeastern United States. It is an erect evergreen shrub g ...

'' (highland doghobble or drooping leucothoe; southeastern United States) *'' Leucothoe grayana'' ( Japan) *''

Leucothoe griffithiana Leucothoe may refer to: * Leucothoe (mythology), the name of several characters in Greek mythology. * ''Leucothoe'' (plant), a genus in the family (Ericaceae) * ''Leucothoe'' (crustacean), a genus of amphipod crustaceans * ''Leucothoé'', an earl ...

'' (eastern

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

, southwest China) *''

Leucothoe keiskei ''Leucothoe keiskei'', the Keskei dog hobble or Keskei fetterbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to southern Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located sout ...

'' (Japan) *''

Leucothoe populifolia ''Agarista populifolia'' is a plant species in the family Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is ...

'' (southeastern United States) *''

Leucothoe racemosa ''Eubotrys racemosa'' ( syn. ''Leucothoe racemosa'') is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common names fetterbush, swamp doghobble, and swamp sweetbells. It is native to the Eastern United States, where its distribut ...

'' (swamp doghobble or sweetbells; eastern United States) *''

Leucothoe recurva ''Eubotrys recurva'' is a plant species native to the Eastern United States. Common names include ''deciduous mountain fetterbush'' and ''red-twig doghobble''. Distribution and habitat The plant grows in moist forests, bogs, granitic domes, etc. ...

'' (redtwig doghobble; southeastern United States) *''

Leucothoe tonkinensis Leucothoe may refer to: * Leucothoe (mythology), the name of several characters in Greek mythology. * ''Leucothoe'' (plant), a genus in the family (Ericaceae) * ''Leucothoe'' (crustacean), a genus of amphipod crustaceans * ''Leucothoé'', an earl ...

'' (southern China, northern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

)

References

External links

''Leucothoe fontanesiana'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
Vaccinioideae Ericaceae genera {{Ericaceae-stub