''Piptanthus'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the legume family,

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. It includes two species of shrubs native to the Himalayas, Tibet, Myanmar, and western China. They grow in montane grassland, thicket, and forest margins. The genus belongs to subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

. It is most closely related to the genera ''

Anagyris ''Anagyris'' (Spanish: ''oro de risco'') is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. Species ''Anagyris'' comprises the following species: * '' Anagyris foetida'' L. * '' Anagyris latifolia'' Br ...

Thermopsis ''Thermopsis'' is a genus of legumes, native to temperate North America and east Asia. They are herbaceous perennials and are known as goldenbanners or false-lupines. Species ''Thermopsis'' comprises the following species: * '' Thermopsis alp ...

'' (Asiatic spp.), and '' Vuralia''.

Species

''Piptanthus'' comprises the following species: * '' Piptanthus nepalensis'' is native to

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. It is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

which is variable in

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

, especially in the arrangement of hairs on its leaves and other parts, so it has frequently been divided into multiple species.''Piptanthus nepalensis''.
Flora of China. This Himalayan shrub is evergreen in mild sheltered sites, semi-evergreen elsewhere, losing its leaves in hard frost but soon recovering again in spring. The growth is upright and flexible, allowing plants to be trained on warm walls where they are sheltered and flower more profusely. The blooms are large and bright yellow, like those of laburnum but in short upright clusters. Although good drainage is important, make sure plants are watered in summer to prevent sudden die-back. * '' Piptanthus tomentosus'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to China. It can be distinguished from ''P. nepalensis'' by the coating of reddish hairs on its fruit.''Piptanthus tomentosus''.
Flora of China.

References

Sophoreae Fabaceae genera Flora of Asia Taxa named by Robert Sweet (botanist) {{Sophoreae-stub