Physocarpus
Encyclopedia
Physocarpus, commonly called Ninebark, is a genus of about ten species of flowering plant
s in the family Rosaceae
, native to North America
(most of the species) and northeastern Asia
(one species).
They are deciduous
shrub
s growing to 1-3 m tall. The name comes from the appearance of the bark
, which is flaky, peeling away in many layers. The leaves
are maple
-like, palmately lobed, 3-15 cm long and broad, with an irregularly serrated margin. The flower
s are white with five petals and numerous stamens, produced in corymbs. The fruit
is a cluster of inflated follicles
, which turn dry and brown and then split open to release the seeds.
Selected species
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
, native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(most of the species) and northeastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
(one species).
They are deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s growing to 1-3 m tall. The name comes from the appearance of the bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
, which is flaky, peeling away in many layers. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
-like, palmately lobed, 3-15 cm long and broad, with an irregularly serrated margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are white with five petals and numerous stamens, produced in corymbs. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a cluster of inflated follicles
Follicle (fruit)
In botany, a follicle is a dry unilocular many-seeded fruit formed from one carpel and dehiscing by the ventral suture in order to release seeds, such as in larkspur, magnolia, banksia, peony and milkweed....
, which turn dry and brown and then split open to release the seeds.
Selected species
- Physocarpus alternans (Dwarf Ninebark)
- Physocarpus amurensis (Asian Ninebark)
- Physocarpus bracteatus
- Physocarpus capitatusPhysocarpus capitatusPhysocarpus capitatus, commonly called Pacific ninebark or tall ninebark, is a species of Physocarpus native to western North America from southern Alaska east to Montana and Utah, and south to southern California....
(Pacific Ninebark) - Physocarpus glabratus
- Physocarpus malvaceus (Mallow Ninebark)
- Physocarpus monogynusPhysocarpus monogynusPhysocarpus monogynus, the mountain ninebark or low ninebark, is a flowering shrub of western North America.-Distribution:Physocarpus monogynus occurs from northern Mexico and west Texas north to Montana and South Dakota and west to Nevada...
(Mountain Ninebark) - Physocarpus opulifoliusPhysocarpus opulifoliusPhysocarpus opulifolius, commonly called common ninebark or Atlantic ninebark, is a plant in the rose family, Rosaceae.-Description:...
(Common Ninebark)
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