Abelia Spathulata

''Abelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. The genus currently includes six species native to China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

The genus previously contained about 30 species and hybrids. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the genus was not monophyletic. ''Abelia'' section ''Zabelia'' was raised to the genus ''Zabelia'', and the majority of ''Abelia'' species have been transferred to other genera, including ''Diabelia'', ''Lonicera'', and ''Vesalea''.

Description

Species of ''Abelia'' are shrubs from 1–6 m tall. Species from warm climates are evergreen, and colder climate species deciduous. The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three, ovate, glossy, dark green, 1.5–8 cm long, turning purplish-bronze to red in autumn in the deciduous species. The flowers appear in the upper leaf axils and stem ends, 1-8 together in a short cyme; they are pendulous, white to pink, bell-shaped with a five-lobed corolla, 1–5 cm long, and usually scented. Flowering continues over a long and continuous period from late spring to fall.

Some of these species are cultivated as ornamental garden plants, and may still be described as ''Abelia'' in horticultural listings. A notable example is the hybrid ''Abelia × grandiflora''.

Taxonomy

The generic name commemorates Clarke Abel, a keen naturalist who accompanied Lord Amherst's unsuccessful embassy to China in 1816 as a surgeon, under the sponsorship of Sir Joseph Banks. All of Abel's seeds and plants were lost in a shipwreck on the homeward voyage, however; living plants of ''Abelia chinensis'' were first imported to England in 1844 by Robert Fortune.

Some species placed in ''Abelia'' were transferred to ''Linnaea'' at various times from 1872 onwards, but these transfers were not accepted by most botanists. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that a number of genera traditionally placed in the tribe Linnaeeae were closely related, but that ''Abelia'' was not monophyletic, even with ''Abelia'' section ''Zabelia'' split off as a separate genus ''Zabelia''. In 2013, Maarten Christenhusz proposed that ''Abelia'' and related genera be merged into ''Linnaea''. In 2015 Wang, Landrein, ''et al.'' also found that ''Abelia'' was polyphyletic, and that ''Zabelia'' was more closely related to ''Morina'' than to the rest of the subfamily Linnaeoideae. They organized the Linnaeoideae into six monophyletic genera by recognizing ''Dipelta'', ''Kolkwitzia'', and ''Linnaea'' as distinct genera, placing the former Mexican species of ''Abelia'' in the revived genus ''Vesalea'', creating the new genus ''Diabelia'', and leaving six Asian species in ''Abelia''.Wang H-F, Landrein S, Dong W-P, Nie Z-L, Kondo K, Funamoto T, et al. (2015) Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeographic Diversification of Linnaeoideae (Caprifoliaceae s. l.) Disjunctly Distributed in Eurasia, North America and Mexico. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0116485. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0116485 Plants of the World Online accepts the circumscription of Wang, Landrein, ''et al.''.

Species

Six species are accepted.
*''Abelia chinensis''
*''Abelia forrestii''
*''Abelia × grandiflora'' (artificial hybrid of ''A. chinensis'' × ''A. uniflora'')
*''Abelia macrotera''
*''Abelia parvifolia''
*''Abelia schumannii''
*''Abelia uniflora''

Former species and synonyms

Species and synonyms previously placed in ''Abelia'' but now placed in other genera include:

*''Abelia adenotricha'' = ''Lonicera elisae''
*''Abelia angustifolia'' = '' Zabelia angustifolia''
*''Abelia anhweiensis'' = '' Zabelia dielsii''
*''Abelia biflora'' = '' Zabelia biflora''
*''Abelia brachystemon'' = '' Zabelia brachystemon''
*''Abelia buchwaldii'' = ''Diabelia serrata'' f. ''buchwaldii''
*''Abelia buddleioides'' = '' Zabelia buddleioides''
*''Abelia coreana'' = '' Zabelia dielsii''
*''Abelia coriacea'' = '' Vesalea coriacea''
*''Abelia corymbosa'' = '' Zabelia corymbosa''
*''Abelia curviflora'' = ''Diabelia sanguinea''
*''Abelia davidii'' = '' Zabelia biflora''
*''Abelia dielsii'' = '' Zabelia dielsii''
*''Abelia floribunda'' = '' Vesalea floribunda''
*''Abelia grandifolia'' = '' Vesalea grandifolia''
*''Abelia gymnocarpa'' = ''Diabelia serrata'' f. ''gymnocarpa''
*''Abelia hersii'' = '' Zabelia dielsii''
*''Abelia hirsuta'' = ''Vesalea floribunda'' var. ''floribunda''
*''Abelia insularis'' = '' Zabelia biflora''
*''Abelia integrifolia'' = '' Zabelia integrifolia''
*''Abelia ionostachya'' = ''Diabelia ionostachya''
*''Abelia mexicana'' = '' Vesalea mexicana''
*''Abelia mosanensis'' = '' Zabelia tyaihyoni''
*''Abelia occidentalis'' = '' Vesalea occidentalis''
*''Abelia onkocarpa'' = '' Zabelia onkocarpa''
*''Abelia sanguinea'' = ''Diabelia sanguinea''
*''Abelia serrata'' = ''Diabelia serrata''
*''Abelia shikokiana'' = '' Zabelia biflora''
*''Abelia spathulata'' = ''Diabelia spathulata''
*''Abelia speciosa'' = ''Vesalea floribunda'' var. ''floribunda''
*''Abelia splendens'' = ''Lonicera fragrantissima'' subsp. ''fragrantissima''
*''Abelia tetrasepala'' = ''Diabelia ionostachya'' var. ''tetrasepala''
*''Abelia tomentosa'' = ''Diabelia serrata'' f. ''tomentosa''
*''Abelia tyaihyonii'' = '' Zabelia tyaihyonii''
*''Abelia umbellata'' = '' Zabelia umbellata''
*''Abelia zanderi'' = '' Zabelia dielsii''

Cultivation

Several species of ''Abelia'' are in cultivation. Though not fully hardy, they are easy to grow in a sheltered, sunny position. The cultivar 'Edward Goucher' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Allergenicity

''Abelia'' has an OPALS allergy scale rating of 5 out of 10, indicating moderate potential to cause allergic reactions, exacerbated by over-use of the same plant throughout a garden. People allergic to honeysuckle may experience cross-reactive allergic reactions with ''Abelia''.

References and external links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158261

Caprifoliaceae
Caprifoliaceae genera
Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)