Lyonia ovalifolia (Wall.) Drude

Habit

Shrub

Family Description

Trees, shrubs, or subshrubs, often evergreen, sometimes epiphytic. Leaves alternate, sometimes becoming aggregate into pseudo-whorls, simple, pinnately veined, exstipulate. Flowers in racemes, corymbs, panicles, clusters or solitary, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual. Calyx of 5(-8)sepals, free and borne on ovary, or united into tube at base. Corolla of 5(-10)petals united at base or almost to apex, tubular, barrel-shaped, urn-shaped, campanulate, funnel-shaped or salver-shaped. Ovary inferior or superior, 4-5(-20)-celled; style cylindric; stigmasimple; ovules numerous, axile. Fruit a berry or 5(-20)-valved capsule, sometimes enclosed by enlarged fleshy calyx.. . Members of the Ericaceae are of great horticultural importance in North temperate countries, particularly in Europe and north America where many genera are prized as ornamentals, including Rhododendron (by far the most important), Enkianthus, Pieris, Gaultheria, Vaccinium and Agapetes. Bhutan is particularly rich in Ericaceae, and there exists some economic potential for commercial production ot the rare species.. . The family is treated here in a broad sense, including those genera sometimes placed separately in Vacciniaceae.

Genus Description

Evergreen or decidous shrub or trees. Leaves alternate, entire. Flowers in simple axillary racemes. Sepals 5, united at base. Petals 5, united into cylindric or urn-like tube, pubescent. Stamens 10, inserted at base of corolla, with or without 2 spurs at base of anthers. Ovary superior, 5-celled. Fruit a 5-lobed, globose capsule; seeds many, minute, linear, curved , not winged.

Species description

Deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or tree 2-10m. Leaves ovate, 4-15x1.5-6cm, apex acuminate, base rounded to cordate; petioles 5-15mm. Racemes c 40-flowered, 3-16cm with 1-2 leaf-like bracts 1.5-4cm at base. Sepals triangular, 1.5-2.5mm. Corolla cylindric, 8-12x2.5-5mm, white, sometimes tinged pink towards apex, pubescent. Filaments hairy towards base; anthers with 2 spreading, basal spurs c 0.5mm. Capsule globose 2.5-4.5x3.5-6mm; seeds c 1mm.