Leucothoe (plant) explained

Leucothoe is a genus of about 6 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to Asia and the Americas.^[1] Many species have the common name doghobble.Leucothoe species contain grayanotoxins, a group of closely related neurotoxins named after Leucothoe grayana, native to Japan.^[2]

They are shrubs growing to 1–3 m tall, either deciduous or evergreen depending on species. The leaves are alternate, oblong-lanceolate, 2–15 cm long. The flowers 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)
• Leucothoe davisiae (black laurel; Sierra Nevada, northern California & Oregon)
• Leucothoe fontanesiana (highland doghobble or drooping leucothoe; southeastern United States)
• Leucothoe grayana (Japan)
• Leucothoe griffithiana (eastern Himalaya, southwest China)^[1]
• Leucothoe keiskei (Japan)
• Leucothoe populifolia (southeastern United States)
• Leucothoe racemosa (swamp doghobble or sweetbells; eastern United States)
• Leucothoe recurva (redtwig doghobble; southeastern United States)
• Leucothoe tonkinensis (southern China, northern Vietnam)^[1]

External links

• Leucothoe fontanesiana images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu

Notes and References

1. Web site: Leucothoe D. Don . Flora of China .
2. Book: Senning, Alexander . Elsevier's Dictionary of Chemoetymology. vanc . Elsevier. 2007. 978-0-444-52239-9. Amsterdam. 170.