Jamesia
Encyclopedia
Jamesia is a genus
of shrub
s in the Hydrangeaceae
, most commonly known as Jamesia, Cliffbush or Waxflower. It is native to interior western North America
, in the U.S.
states of Arizona
, California
, Colorado
, Nevada
, New Mexico
, Utah
, and Wyoming
, growing in mountain
s at 1600–3000 m altitude.
There is just one species
, J. americana, though some botanists treat it as two species, the second being J. tetrapetala (Fourpetal Cliffbush, with the narrow sense J. americana then known as Fivepetal Cliffbush).
It is a shrub growing to 1–2 m tall and to 3 m or more broad, with opposite simple leaves
3–7 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, with a serrated margin and a crinkled surface. The flower
s are produced in erect terminal panicle
s, each flower white, 15–20 mm diameter, with five (rarely four) petals. The fruit
is a dry capsule
with numerous small seed
s.
The genus is named for Edwin James, the botanist for Stephen Long
's expedition that explored the territory between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers in 1820. James was the first to collect this genus for botanical study.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s in the Hydrangeaceae
Hydrangeaceae
Hydrangeaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Cornales, with a wide distribution in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe.-Overview:...
, most commonly known as Jamesia, Cliffbush or Waxflower. It is native to interior western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
states of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, growing in mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s at 1600–3000 m altitude.
There is just one species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, J. americana, though some botanists treat it as two species, the second being J. tetrapetala (Fourpetal Cliffbush, with the narrow sense J. americana then known as Fivepetal Cliffbush).
It is a shrub growing to 1–2 m tall and to 3 m or more broad, with opposite simple leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
3–7 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, with a serrated margin and a crinkled surface. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in erect terminal panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
s, each flower white, 15–20 mm diameter, with five (rarely four) petals. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a dry capsule
Capsule (fruit)
In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
with numerous small seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s.
The genus is named for Edwin James, the botanist for Stephen Long
Stephen Harriman Long
Stephen Harriman Long was a U.S. army explorer, topographical engineer, and railway engineer. As an inventor, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of the most prolific explorers of the early 1800s, although his career as an explorer was relatively...
's expedition that explored the territory between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers in 1820. James was the first to collect this genus for botanical study.