Symphoricarpos

Inflorescence an ordinary snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus)

The Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos ) are a genus of flowering plants in the family of Honeysuckle ( Caprifoliaceae ). Except for a Chinese style all kinds in North America and Mexico are located.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

Snowberries species grow as relatively low, deciduous shrubs. They usually form foothills. The winter buds have a few pairs of bud scales. The oppositely arranged leaves are constantly short-stalked. The simple leaf blades are entire or lobed on long shoots. Stipules absent.

Inflorescences and flowers

Its flowers are sometimes singly in the leaf axils of the uppermost leaves, but mostly at the ends of the branches in terminal or axillary, little head like a shortened aged men inflorescences together. The relatively small and relatively inconspicuous flowers are almost radial symmetry and four or fünfzählig. The four or five sepals are fused into a short, wide, cup-shaped tube that ends with four or five short calyx lobes. The four or five petals are fused bell-shaped or funnel-shaped or salverform. The slightly curved at their base corolla tube is inside hairy bald or long fluffy and ends in four or five Kronlappen. The color of the petals is reddish to white. It's just a circle with four or five stamens which are inserted into the corolla tube and a maximum of just sticking out from it. The ovary is vierfächrig with two sterile compartments, each with some sterile ovules, in the other two compartments each is only one fertile ovule. The thin style ends in a large, capitate or slightly bilobed scar.

Fruit and seeds

The spherical, ovoid or ellipsoidal, berry-like, poisonous stone fruits turn at maturity usually white or whitish- pink to reddish or bluish - black. The flesh is spongy and contains two 2 to 5 mm long, whitish stone cores. The egg-shaped and more or less flattened endosperm and seed contain a small embryo. The white fruits are also popularly known as " crackers " because she firmly thrown to the ground, creating a small crack on the bursting.

Dissemination

15 Symphoricarpos species of the genus are originally found in North America and Mexico. Only one species is native to China.

The Common Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus) has become naturalized in the moderate latitudes as a neophyte.

System

The genus Symphoricarpos 1755 erected by Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau in Traité des Arbres et Arbustes, 2, p 295. Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Moench type species is ..

There are about 16 species in the genus Symphoricarpos:

• Symphoricarpos acutus ( A. Gray ) Dieck: It is native to California, Nevada and Oregon.
• Common Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus (L.) SFBlake ): It is widespread in North America: Symphoricarpos albus (L.) var S.F.Blake albus
• White Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus var laevigatus ( Fernald ) SFBlake, Syn: Symphoricarpos rivularis Suksd. )

• Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var parishii ( Rydb. ) Dempster ( Syn: Symphoricarpos parishii Rydb. )
• Symphoricarpos rotundifolius A. Gray var rotundifolius

Use

In the moderates widths are some varieties of some species as ornamentals in parks and gardens, particularly used in hedges. For example, some varieties of the Common Snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus) - planted as an ornamental plant - also known Knallerbse or crack berry.

Symphoricarpos albus var laevigatus From, Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus be eaten raw or cooked better the fruit, but probably only if nothing else is different. The fruits contain saponins, though these are toxic, pass eaten fruits probably the stomach and intestinal tract without causing discomfort. The medical effects have been investigated.

Swell

• Qiner Yang, Sven Landrein, Joanna Osborne & Renata Borosova: Caprifoliaceae. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Hong Deyuan (eds.): Flora of China. Cucurbitaceae through Valerianaceae with Annonaceae and Berberidaceae. Volume 19, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing, inter alia, 9 March 2011, ISBN 978-1-930723-99-3, Symphoricarpos, p 618 ( on-line text is identical to the printed work, " Symphoricarpos - Online "). (Section Description, systematics and distribution )