Pieris japonica

Japanese andromeda
Inflorescence
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Pieris
Species: P. japonica
Binomial name
Pieris japonica
(Thunb.) D. Don ex G. Don
Synonyms[1]

Andromeda japonica Thunb. L.

Pieris japonica, the Japanese andromeda, Japanese pieris, or Dwarf Lilly-of-the-Valley Shrub is a plant in the heather family, Ericaceae. It is native to eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan where it grows in mountain thickets.[2]

It is also widely cultivated in gardens, and parent to the cultivated hybrid Pieris 'Forest Flame'.

Description

Pieris japonica is a shrub or a small tree (1–4 metres or 3.3–13.1 feet tall, occasionally up to 10 metres) with alternate, simple leaves on brittle stems. The flowers are white and borne in early spring. The plant is poisonous if consumed by people or animals.[3] The name "andromeda" originated from an earlier genus name for the plant. The flower blooms in February or March and lasts usually for two or three weeks.[4]

References

  1. "Pieris japonica". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. Fang Ruizheng, Peter F. Stevens. "Pieris japonica". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  3. Smith, M. C. (1978). "Japanese pieris poisoning in the goat". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 173 (1): 78–79. PMID 670056.
  4. Robinson, Gaius. "Pieris Japonica--Stay Away Deer". Retrieved 26 June 2015.


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