''Exochorda racemosa'', pearlbush or common pearlbush, is a species of plant in the rose family. This species is mostly found in China and Japan.

Taxonomy and etymology

''Exochorda racemosa'' was first described by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...

. It is placed in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

'' Exochorda'' and family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), '' Sorbu ...

, the rose family. The plant gets its common name, "common pearlbush", from its pearl-looking flowers.

Description

Pearlbush Exochorda racemosa Leaf Stalk 2000px

A loose, irregular or vase-shaped and upright shrub, this species is

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

. It has oblong leaves, about long and wide, that are rounded and toothed at the margin on the top. The flowers are white, and flower in late April to early May. The flowers have round

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s, 12-25

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s, borne in racemes in groups of about six or ten. Their diameter is . Flowers give way to brown, dehiscent seed capsules.

Subspecies

* ''Exochorda racemosa'' subsp. ''serratifolia'' (S.Moore) F.Y.Gao & Maesen – Korean pearl bush

References

Exochordeae Plants described in 1847 {{Amygdaloideae-stub