PHILADELPHACEAE

MOCK ORANGE FAMILY

Charles F. Quibell

Shrub, subshrub
Stem < 3 m, generally erect; bark generally peeling as thin sheets or narrow strips
Leaves simple, opposite, deciduous or not, ± hairy; stipules 0; blade ± round to narrowly elliptic, entire or toothed
Inflorescence: cyme, raceme, panicle, or flower 1, terminal or axillary, generally bracted
Flower bisexual, radial; sepals 4–7, free, spreading or erect; petals 4–7, free, ± round to narrowly elliptic, generally white; stamens 10–12 in 2 whorls or many and clustered, filament base linear or wide and flat; pistil 1, ovary superior to 2/3 inferior, chambers 2–8, ovules 1–2 or many per chamber, placentas axile or parietal, styles 3–8, free or fused at base
Fruit: capsule, loculicidal or septicidal; styles persistent or not
Seeds generally many, small to minute
Genera in family: 7 genera, 130 species: temp, subtropical n hemisphere; some cultivated for ornamental (Carpenteria, Deutzia, Philadelphus)
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated within Hydrangeaceae [Soltis et al. 1995 Amer J Bot 82: 504–514]
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JAMESIA

CLIFFBUSH

Species in genus: 1 sp
Etymology: (Edwin P. James, naturalist, 1797–1861)
Reference: [Holmgren & Holmgren 1989 Brittonia 41:335–350]

Native

J. americana Torr. & A. Gray var. rosea C.K. Schneid.

Shrub < 1 m; herbage generally densely hairy
Stem: bark generally gray, peeling as narrow strips
Leaves deciduous; petiole 2–6 mm; blade 1.5–4 cm, 1–2 cm wide, widely ovate to ± round, pinnately veined, margin toothed, upper surface green, finely strigose, lower surface pale gray-white, densely hairy
Inflorescence: cyme, terminal; flowers (1)3–11
Flower 1.2–1.5 cm wide, slightly fragrant; sepals 5, 3–4 mm, gray-strigose; petals 5, 5–8 mm, elliptic to obovate, generally pink; stamens 10, alternating long and short, filament base wide, flat; ovary half-inferior, chambers 3–5, 1 in fruit, placentas parietal, ovules many, styles 3–5, > sepals, persistent, spreading in fruit, stigma terminal
Fruit 1–1.3 cm, conic, septicidal
Seeds many, fusiform, brown
Ecology: Rocky slopes, cliffs
Elevation: 2250–3700 m.
Bioregional distribution: c&s High Sierra Nevada, White and Inyo Mountains, n Desert Mountains (Grapevine Mtns)
Distribution outside California: w Nevada
Flowering time: Jul–Aug
Synonyms: var. californica (E. Small) Jeps
Other vars. in GB, Rocky Mtns
Horticultural information: TRY; DFCLT.