Lechea Explained

Lechea (pinweed) is a genus in the family Cistaceae of the order Malvales.^[1] The genus contains about 18 species referred to as "pinweeds" primarily in eastern North America. Most are low-growing herbs with narrow leaves and many small flowers that resemble pinheads.^[2]

Linnaeus named the genus Lechea for Swedish botanist Johan Leche (1704–1764), who taught in Finland and is regarded as the father of Finnish meteorology and space research, based on his documentation of the northern lights and early measurements of air temperature in collaboration with Anders Celsius.^[3]

Species

Species of Lechea include:

• Lechea cernua
• Lechea deckertii
• Lechea divaricata
• Lechea intermedia
• Lechea lakelae
• Lechea maritima
• Lechea mensalis
• Lechea minor
• Lechea mucronata
• Lechea pulchella
• Lechea racemulosa
• Lechea san-sabeana
• Lechea sessiliflora
• Lechea stricta
• Lechea tenuifolia
• Lechea torreyi
• Lechea tripetala^[1]

Notes and References

1. USDA, NRCS. 2014. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 1 December 2014). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
2. http://www.phytoneuron.net/2013Phytoneuron/99PhytoN-LecheaAlabama.pdf "Key to the pinweeds (Lechea, Cistaceae) of Alabama and adjacent states"
3. http://www.acris.nynhp.org/guide.php?id= New York Natural Heritage Program. 2016. Online Conservation Guide for Lechea tenuifolia.