''Exochorda'' is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Rosaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to China and central Asia (Turkestan). They are used as ornamental plants with the common name pearl bush, or pearlbush. Numerous

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 ...

have been described on the basis of differing appearance and geographical separation, but a systematic studyGao Fangyou. 1998. Exochorda: ''five species or one?: a biosystematic study of the Rosaceous genus'' Exochorda. Wageningen University Dissertation published as a book. revealed that the different types are closely related and probably all descended from a single species that formerly had a wide distribution that has been fragmented by habitat loss. As a single species the correct name is '' E. racemosa''.

Description

They are

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, aft ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s growing tall. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are paddle-shaped oval, long, with an entire or bluntly serrated margin. 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 white, with five petals, produced in spring on the ends of the branches. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a dry coccetum consisting of five fused

carpel Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

s, which split to release the flattened

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s. Lindley wrote in the original description of the genus "The free placentary chords external to the carpels have suggested the name of the genus."

Cultivation

A valuable garden

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

is known as ''E.'' × ''macrantha'' C.K.Schneid. or ''Exochorda'' 'The Bride'.

Lemoine Lemoine or Le Moine is a French surname meaning "Monk". Notable people with the surname include: * Adolphe Lemoine, known as Lemoine-Montigny (1812–1880), French comic-actor * Anna Le Moine (born 1973), Swedish curler * Antoine Marcel Lemoine ( ...

's catalog of 1904 C._K._Schneider,_translated_by_Wikipedia.html" ;"title="Camillo_Karl_Schneider.html" ;"title="s cited by Camillo Karl Schneider">C. K. Schneider, translated by Wikipedia">Camillo_Karl_Schneider.html" ;"title="s cited by Camillo Karl Schneider">C. K. Schneider, translated by Wikipediastated "We obtained this hybrid by fertilizing ''E. alberti'' with pollen from ''E. grandiflora''. The clusters of flowers which terminate each shoot, are erect or horizontal, each one with 8 to 10 large flowers, well opened and unfolded, snow white. This new shrub has the vigorous growth of ''E. grandiflora''. As an isolated specimen the effect is magnificent." This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Gallery

Image:Pearlbush Exochorda racemosa Leaf Stalk 2000px.jpg, Leaves Image:Exochorda x macrantha flowers.jpg, ''E.'' × ''macrantha'' 'The bride', flowers Image:Exochorda the bride E.jpg, Young fruit Image:Exochorda ripe fruit.jpg, Fully open fruit after the seeds have dispersed

References

External links

Flora of China: ''Exochorda''
*Huxley, A. (1992). ''The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' 2: 274. Macmillan. *''Trees & Shrubs'', Botanica, 1987, pg. 373. *http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/310.shtml BBC Gardening Plant Finder {{Taxonbar, from=Q137339 Exochordeae Monotypic Rosaceae genera