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Forsythia
'''''Forsythia''''' is of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae (olive family). There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. The common name is also '''Forsythia'''; the genus is named after William Forsyth (botanist)|William Forsyth.[Flora of China: ''Forsythia''][Flora Europaea: ''Forsythia''][St Andrews Botanic Garden: Plant of the Month: ''Forsythia'']
They are deciduous shrubs typically growing to a height of and, rarely, up to with rough grey-brown bark. The leaf|leaves are opposite, usually simple but sometimes trifoliate with a basal pair of small leaflets, and range from in length and, rarely, up to long; the margin is serrated or entire. The flowers are produced in the early spring before the leaves, bright yellow with a deeply four-lobed Corolla (flower)|corolla, the petals joined only at the base. The shrub is perhaps best known for its relevance in the children's game 'rabbits' that emerged in the 20th century. The bright yellow petals of the shrub were likened to bananas, which children would then pretend to eat, although the tenuous link between bananas and rabbits has never been established. The actual fruit is a dry capsule, containing several winged seeds.[Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.]
Species:
- ''Forsythia europaea'' Degen & Bald. Balkans in Albania and Serbia.
- ''Forsythia giraldiana'' Lingelsh. Northwest China.
- ''Forsythia japonica'' Makino. Japan.
- ''Forsythia likiangensis'' Ching & Feng ex P.Y.Bai. Southwest China.
- ''Forsythia mandschurica'' Uyeki. Northeast China.
- ''Forsythia mira'' M.C.Chang. North central China.
- ''Forsythia nakaii'' (Uyeki) T.B.Lee. Korea.
- ''Forsythia ovata'' Nakai. Korea.
- ''Forsythia suspensa'' (Thunb.) Vahl. Eastern and central China.
- ''Forsythia togashii'' H.Hara. Japan (Shōdoshima).
- ''Forsythia viridissima'' Lindley. Eastern China.
- ''Forsythia 'Northern Gold''' Canada.
Sources:[University of Oxford, Oleaceae information site: ''Forsythia''][Northscaping Info Zone - Northern Gold Forsythia - Forsythia 'Northern Gold'][ Government of Alberta, Agriculture and Rural Development]
A genetic study[Kim, K.-J. (1999). Molecular phylogeny of Forsythia (Oleaceae) based on chloroplast DNA variation. ''P. Syst. Evol''. 218: 113-123. Abstract.] does not fully match the traditionally accepted species listed above, and groups the species in four clades: (1) ''F. suspensa''; (2) ''F. europaea — F. giraldiana''; (3) ''F. ovata — F. japonica — F. viridissima''; and (4) ''F. koreana — F. mandschurica — F. saxatilis''. Of the additional species, ''F. koreana'' is usually cited as a variety of ''F. viridissima'', and ''F. saxatilis'' as a variety of ''F. japonica'';[Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Forsythia''] the genetic evidence suggests they may be better treated as distinct species.
Forsythias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Brown-tail and Gothic (moth)|The Gothic.
Cultivation and uses
The Hybrid (biology)|hybrids ''Forsythia × intermedia'' (''F. suspensa'' × ''F. viridissima'') and ''Forsythia × variabilis'' (''F. ovata'' × ''F. suspensa'') have been produced in cultivation.[
Forsythias are popular early spring flowering shrubs in gardens and parks. Two are commonly cultivated for ornament, ''Forsythia × intermedia'' and ''Forsythia suspensa''. They are both spring flowering shrubs, with yellow flowers. They are grown and prized for being tough, reliable garden plants. ''Forsythia × intermedia'' is the more commonly grown, is smaller, has an upright habit, and produces strongly coloured flowers. ''Forsythia suspensa'' is a large to very large shrub, can be grown as a weeping shrub on banks, and has paler flowers. Many named garden cultivars can also be found.][
Commercial plant propagation|propagation is usually by cuttings, taken from green wood after flowering in late spring to early summer; alternatively, cuttings may be taken between November and February.][
F. suspensa (Chinese: wikt:连|连wikt:翘|翘; pinyin: liánqiào) is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese herbology. Forsythia sticks are used to bow a Korean string instrument called ''ajaeng''.
Image:Tree dsc00856.jpg|A Forsythia shrub
Image:Forsythia.x.intermedia03.jpg|''Forsythia × intermedia'' flowers and young leaves
Image:ForsythiaFlower.png|A Forsythia flower
Image:Forsythia 50years.jpg|The large size of a single, 50-year old Forsythia
]References
External links
- BBC - Forsythia page
- Royal Horticultural Society
- ''Forsythia viridissima'' Vanderbilt University - Forsythia page
Category:Oleaceae
Category:Medicinal plants
Category:Plants named after people
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Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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