''Styrax platanifolius'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Styracaceae
The Styracaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, containing 12 genera and about 160 species of trees and shrubs. The family occurs in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The family is c ...
known by the common name sycamoreleaf snowbell.
It is native to northeastern Mexico in the states of
Coahuila
Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico.
Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
,
Nuevo León
Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
, and
Tamaulipas[''Styrax platanifolius''.]
Flora of North America. and the US state of
Texas, especially on the
Edwards Plateau.
[''Styrax platanifolius''.]
The Nature Conservancy.
Description
This is a
shrub
A shrub (often also called a 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 ...
which can grow to 6 meters. The leaves are variable in shape, generally oval with smooth, toothed, or lobed edges, and measuring 4.5 to 12 centimeters in length. The
inflorescence is a solitary flower or cluster of up to 7. The bell-shaped white flower is 1 or 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a hairy, spherical capsule about a centimeter long.
[
]
Taxonomy
There are five subspecies of this plant.[ Some were formerly considered species, but genetic analysis suggests they are more closely related and should be treated as subtaxa of one species.][USFWS]
''Styrax platanifolius'' ssp. ''texana'' Five-year Review.
September 2008. The subspecies are mostly characterized on the basis of the amount and arrangement of hairs on the leaves and other parts.[
]
Subspecies
[
*''S. p.'' ssp. ''mollis'' - known from the ]Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that f ...
in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas in Mexico.
*''S. p.'' ssp. ''platanifolius'' - once the most widespread subspecies and now quite rare.
*''S. p.'' ssp. ''stellatus'' (hairy sycamoreleaf snowbell) - formerly ''S. stellatus'', a rare subspecies found along the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau
*''S. p.'' ssp. ''texanus'' (Texas snowbell) - formerly ''S. texana'' or ''S. texanus'', rare and federally listed as an endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
of the United States.[''Styrax platanifolius'' ssp. ''texanus''.]
Texas Parks & Wildlife.[''Styrax texanus''.]
Center for Plant Conservation. There are about 22 populations remaining in the state of Texas.[
*''S. p.'' ssp. ''youngiae'' (Young's snowbell) - formerly ''S. youngiae'', occurs in Coahuila and possibly in the Davis Mountains of Texas.
File:Styrax platanifolius ssp stellatus.jpg, Leaves of ssp. ''stellatus'' have white stellate hairs
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7629799
platanifolius
Flora of Coahuila
Flora of Nuevo León
Flora of Tamaulipas
Flora of Texas
Flora of Mexico