Paxistima canbyi - (image 1 of 2)
Taxonomy
Family: Celastraceae
Habitat
In mountains on cliffs, bluffs, slopes, rocky woods, in shallow soil over limestone, dolomite or shale.
Associates
Distribution
PA and MD to VA, west to OH, KY, and TN.
Morphology
Low evergreen shrub; stems decumbent, rooting below, the distal part erect or ascending, branched, 20-40 cm; leaves opposite, numerous, leathery, sessile, linear-oblong, 1-2 cm, obtuse, revolute, entire or serrulate; pedicels solitary or few from some of the upper axils, very slender, 6-10 mm; petals green, 2.5 mm.
Notes
Flowers April or May
Wetland indicator: NA
A rare endemic of the central Appalachian Mountains. Also called rat-stripper, apparently because rats tend to strip the leaves off in the winter for food. One of two species in this genus, the other occurring in the west.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
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Michael Hough © 2018 |