Clethra tomentosa

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:CLETHRACEAE
Species:Clethra tomentosa Lam.
Common Name:Downy Sweet Pepperbush
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Shrub
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Downy Sweet Pepperbush is a native deciduous shrub in the Pepperbush family (Clethraceae). It can be found in the southern third of Alabama. Downy Sweet Pepperbush occurs in mesic to moist Longleaf pine forests, along streams, in bogs, and in low hardwood forests. It is a shrub reaching 4-8 feet in height. It is colonial from root suckers. The young stems are woolly while older stems have smooth reddish-brown bark. The leaves are alternate or spirally arranged. The leaves are petiolate, obovate to elliptic in outline, with toothed margins. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green with sparse stellate hairs. The lower surface is woolly tomentose and grayish in color. The leaves turn yellow before falling in the autumn. Flowers are produced in terminal or axillary racemes. The racemes are often in clusters of 2-4. The flowers are white in color and fragrant. Individual flowers have a 5-lobed campanulate calyx and 5 petals. The fruit is a capsule. Downy Sweet Pepperbush is available from native plant nurseries. Several cultivars, including ones with pink flowers, are available. Downy Sweet Pepperbush prefers a moist, sandy soil and light shade. An alternate common name for this species is “Soap Bush”. Crushing and rubbing the flowers together in water creates a sudsy liquid.--A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyCLETHRACEAE - White-Alder/Pepperbush family
Genus Clethra
Species Clethra tomentosa Lam. - Downy Sweet Pepperbush

Citation

Citation Clethra tomentosa Lamarck, Encycl. 2(1): 46. 1786.
Basionym: **
Type: USA: SOUTH CAROLINA:

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Clethra alnifolia var. pubescens Clethra alnifolia Linnaeus, var. pubescens Aiton, Hort. Kew. 2: 73. 1789.  
Clethra alnifolia var. tomentosa Clethra alnifolia Linnaeus, var. tomentosa Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 260. 1803. SOUTH CAROLINA
Clethra incana Clethra incana Persoon, Syn. Pl. 1: 483. 1805, nom. illegit.Clethra tomentosa Lamarck 1786. 
Clethra pubescens Clethra pubescens (Aiton) Willdenow, Enum. Pl. 455. 1809.Clethra alnifolia Linnaeus, var. pubescens Aiton 1789. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia, Etowah, Geneva, Houston, Mobile, Washington

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1949 - 1978

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
JSU119318 Escambia 26 Sep 1985 Lawler, Carol L.
068		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0007190 Butler 06 Oct 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
18486		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UNA00013132 Mobile 26 Jul 1966 Deramus, Rebecca
553		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UNA00013134 Houston 11 Jul 1978 Haynes, Robert R.
6673		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
SAMF0004017 Houston 07 Aug 2010 Davenport, Lawrence J.
4473		 SAMF
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0032005 Houston 30 Jul 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26650		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
JSU119922 Washington 13 Sep 1997 Whetstone, R. David
18707		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UNA00013133 Washington 30 Jul 1949 Crawford, Lloyd C.
s.n.		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UWAL0016402 Covington 31 Jul 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25410		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
JSU119320 Etowah 18 Oct 1975 Whetstone, R. David
7364		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0031951 Geneva 26 Jul 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26637		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00000357 Conecuh 01 Jul 2006 Diamond, Alvin R.
16608		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
TROY000042703 Houston 30 Jul 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26650		 TROY
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
JSU119923 Washington 16 Aug 1993 Ballard, J. Mark
3226		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UNA00013130 Washington 08 Sep 1949 Harvill, Jr., A.M.
5792		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
AMAL00006377 Houston 16 Sep 2000 Kral, Robert
90369		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0030597 Covington 15 Aug 1987 Kral, Robert
74602		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
JSU119921 Houston 22 Jun 1984 Whetstone, R. David
14228		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00015993 Butler 06 Oct 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
18486		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00009120 Crenshaw 31 Jul 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14545		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00014101 Geneva 20 Aug 1981 Kral, Robert
67749		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
ALNHS00003350 Houston 16 Jun 2015 Barger, T. Wayne
DTP-211		 ALNHS
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UWAL0012478 Escambia 20 Sep 2012 Spaulding, Daniel D.
13510		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00006376 Dale 12 May 2002 Diamond, Alvin R.
13174		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0007191 Geneva 20 Aug 1981 Kral, Robert
67749		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
AMAL00006374 Baldwin 10 Aug 2002 Keener, Brian R.
2390		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
ALNHS00002814 Covington 20 May 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1377		 ALNHS
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UNA00013129 Geneva 14 Aug 1956 Thomas, Joab L.
235		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UNA00013128 Mobile 23 Jul 1949 Segars, Charles B.
188		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
JSU119924 Washington 24 Jun 1984 Whetstone, R. David
14285		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00006375 Covington 08 Jul 2001 Diamond, Alvin R.
12505		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0016774 Covington 17 Jul 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25318		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
ALNHS00004262 Houston 20 Jul 2016 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#2535		 ALNHS
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UNA00013131 Geneva 14 Aug 1956 Thomas, Joab L.
235		 UNA
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
AMAL00020602 Covington 20 May 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1377		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0034801 Covington 15 Aug 1987 Kral, Robert
74302		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
AMAL00003532 Escambia 20 Sep 2012 Spaulding, Daniel D.
13510		 AMAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
JSU119319 Etowah 18 Oct 1975 Whetstone, R. David
7364		 JSU
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
TROY000039225 Covington 17 Jul 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25318		 TROY
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
TROY000040718 Covington 31 Jul 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25410		 TROY
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
UWAL0001854 Houston 07 Aug 2010 Davenport, L.J.
4473		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UWAL0037793 Geneva 12 Sep 1995 Sorrie, Bruce A.
8595		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lam.
UWAL0036156 Baldwin 08 Aug 2013 Keener, Brian R.
8128		 UWAL
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
SAMF0004018 Covington 06 Aug 2010 Davenport, Lawrence J.
4454		 SAMF
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
TROY000042595 Geneva 26 Jul 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26637		 TROY
Clethra tomentosa Lamarck
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