Pieris

The scientific name of the genus comes from one of the epithets (nicknames) of the ancient Greek muses - Pierids. Muses, mythological patrons of sciences, poetry and arts, the daughter of the god Zeus and the Titanides of Mnemosyne , lived in Pieria (a region of ancient Macedonia ) and drew inspiration from the Pierre source .

The synonyms of the genus include the following names ^[5] :

• Ampelothamnus Small (1913) - Ampelothamnus,
• Arcterica Coville (1901) - Arterica (some authors consider this genus to be independent with the only species Arcterica nana ( Maxim. ) Makino (1906) - Low arterica , or Dwarf arterica ).

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the word "pieris" was considered a feminine gender (by analogy with the Latin name of the genus), and therefore the Russian names of the species were written differently than now: Japanese pieris, etc.

Since previously many species of pyris, as well as species from the genus Zenobia, were attributed to the genus Podbel ( Andromeda ), representatives of these three genera in the English-language literature on gardening are sometimes collectively referred to as “andromedas”.

The range of the genus covers the mountainous regions of East Asia , the Himalayas and North America (east and southeast of the USA , Cuba ) ^[5] .

Plants of this genus are mostly neat, slowly growing shrubs or trees ^[3] .; the height of adult plants is from 1 to 6 m, but usually does not exceed 3 m. Pieris most often grow on the sunny slopes of mountains in forests or in bushes ^[6] . The abundantly flowering Pieris species ( Pieris floribunda ) can grow both in the form of a bush and in the form of a tree liana , rising up to 10 m along the trunks of two-row taxodiums ^[7] .

Pieris, like most other heather, grows on acidic soils . This feature is due to the fact that the representatives of this family are characterized by symbiosis with fungi in the form of mycorrhiza , while the fungi require an acidic environment for normal development. The roots of plants are braided with mushroom threads ; plants absorb substances that are obtained in the process of processing organic residues by fungi, while mushrooms receive substances produced by plants in return.

Leaves are elliptical (oval) or oblong-lanceolate, dentate or whole-edged, pointed, shiny, leathery. Leaf length - from 2 to 10 cm, width - from 1 to 3.5 cm. Young leaves are usually painted in red, pink or almost white. Leaves grow in a spiral, often gathered in bunches at the ends of shoots ^[6] .

The buds appear in late autumn and remain on the plants throughout the winter ^[8] .

Bell-shaped flowers (pitcher), 0.5 to 1.5 cm long, are collected in erect or drooping panicles 5 to 12 cm long, resembling lily of the valley inflorescences. The flowers are usually white, but there are also plants with pink and red flowers. Flowering is plentiful. Flowering time - from March to May.

The fruit is a woody five-membered capsule 5-6 cm long ^[6] with a large number of small seeds .

Some species of pieris are fodder plants for the caterpillars of many butterflies , including the smoky moth ( Ectropis crepuscularia ).

All types of pyris are poisonous plants ; the leaves and flowers contain the glycoside andromedotoxin (other names for the substance are acetylandromedol, rhodotoxin). This polyhydroxylated cyclic diterpen , which is characteristic of many plants of the Heather family (for example, from the genera of rhododendron and has gone awry ), belongs to neurotoxins ; it can cause a significant decrease in a person's blood pressure, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea; high doses may cause breathing problems. The toxicity of the substance is due to the fact that it disrupts the functioning of cellular receptors, first exciting the central nervous system , and then inhibiting it, which can lead to death ^[9]

In gardening , three types of pieris are used - beautiful Pieris ( Pieris formosa ), richly flowering Pieris ( Pieris floribunda ) and Japanese Pieris ( Pieris japonica ). They are grown in gardens and parks , as well as in greenhouses and, sometimes, in room conditions.

Pieris is a popular garden and greenhouse ornamental plant . Some reasons for this:

• young shoots (both young leaves and stem growth) in many species are red in color; then they turn pale (or, in some varieties, on the contrary, darken) and only after that they turn green;
• buds of the next flowering year appear already in the middle of the summer of this year; in many varieties of pieris, they have a beautiful color (pink, red, purple), which varies depending on the season;
• decorative bell-shaped flowers collected in inflorescences similar to lily of the valley inflorescences;
• slow growth of bushes, which makes it easy to keep them neat.

Varieties

Some varieties of beautiful pieris ^{[3] [8]} :

• Pieris formosa 'Flaming Silver' - a fairly hardy variety; differs from other varieties by the presence of white (silver) edging on adult leaves; in the literature, this variety is sometimes referred to as another pyris and is recorded as Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver' ;
• Pieris formosa 'Forest Flame' - compared to 'Jermyns' a more hardy variety; plant height - up to 3.5 m, across - 1.5-2 m, white flowers, collected in panicles at the ends of branches; the young foliage is red, then it becomes pink, then white, the mature foliage is dark green in color; in the literature, this variety is sometimes referred to other species of pieris and is written as Pieris japonica 'Forest Flame' or Pieris floribunda 'Forest Flame' ;
• Pieris formosa 'Jermyns' - a variety suitable for cultivation in mild climates; all winter, plants are decorated with red buds ;
• Pieris formosa 'Wakehurst' - a variety up to 4.5 m high; young foliage is red, then pink, then green.

Most varieties of this species are with bright red young leaves.

Some varieties of Japanese pieris ^{[3] [4] [8]} :

• Pieris japonica 'Bert Chandler' - a variety with pink and cream young shoots;
• Pieris japonica 'Blush' - a variety with pink flowers;
• Pieris japonica 'Christmas Cheer' - a variety characterized by early flowering and pale pink flowers;
• Pieris japonica 'Debutane' - a dwarf variety, does not exceed a height of 1 m;
• Pieris japonica 'Flamingo' - a variety with pink and bright pink flowers;
• Pieris japonica 'Little Heath' - dwarf variety;
• Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire' - the growth of stems and leaves in this variety is first red, then darkens until it is brown in color and only after that it turns green; white flowers;
• Pieris japonica 'Purity' - a variety with pure white flowers, larger in comparison with other varieties;
• Pieris japonica 'Pygmaea' - undersized variety (up to 1 m);
• Pieris japonica 'Red Head' - a variety similar to Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire' ;
• Pieris japonica 'Red Mill' - late flowering variety;
• Pieris japonica 'Scarlet O'Hara' - the fastest growing variety;
• Pieris japonica 'Ticklet Pink' - a variety with pale red shoots and pink flowers;
• Pieris japonica 'Valley Valentine' - a variety with red or pink flowers;
• Pieris japonica 'Variegata' - a variety with a silver (cream) border along the edge of the leaves.

Most varieties of this species - with copper-red young leaves.

The hybrid variety Pieris japonica × Pieris floribunda 'Brower's Beauty' is distinguished by decorative buds: in the summer they have a cream color, and in the fall they turn purple-red-white.

Agricultural Engineering

Pieris, like many other heathers , needs acidic soil ; the optimum level of acidity is 3.5-4.5 pH . The soil should also be loose and permeable. To achieve these conditions, high peat ^[3] or a mixture of high peat with sand , sawdust and needles is introduced into the soil. In the future, regular measures are taken to prevent weakening of the acidity of the soil (one of the methods is regular introduction of sulfur into the soil ^[4] ). The surface of the soil is mulched either with sand or organic materials (sawdust, pine bark or husk of pine nuts , which, when decomposed, simultaneously acidify the soil well).

It is recommended to maintain moderate soil moisture; in hot dry weather, it is advisable to use cooling irrigation or spraying. You should also protect plants from too bright morning sun. At the end of winter, excess branches are removed; after flowering, faded brushes are removed ^[3] .

Pieris breeding ^{[3] [8]} :

• seeds - in the spring (seeds are planted under glass);
• layering - in early summer;
• cuttings ;
• root offspring .

The frost resistance of beautiful Pieris is up to about minus 20 ° C, Japanese Pieris is from minus 20 ° C to minus 30 ° C depending on the variety. To protect against frost and the spring sun, plants can be covered with light non-woven material with the onset of frost. For the European part of Russia, it is better to use only Japanese pieris as a more winter-hardy comparison with other types of pieris, while it is recommended to select low-growing varieties. ^{[3] [4] [6] [8]}

Pieris as a houseplant

All three types of pieris used in decorative gardening can be grown as indoor plants . For this, dwarf varieties are primarily suitable.

The soil for piers is used peat with sand, with the addition of pine nut husks, as well as pine or spruce needles . The level of its acidity should be pH 4.0-4.5.

It is recommended that the lighting be intense, but without direct sunlight.

For the successful development of flowers, the temperature in winter should be low. After flowering (in late spring, early summer), pruning is recommended. In summer, watering should be regular and plentiful enough, in winter - significantly less. Pieris tolerates low humidity well.

In room culture, pieris are propagated by apical cuttings . ^[ten]

Taxonomic position

The genus Pieris, together with the genera Agarista and Lyonia , which are close to it, belongs to the tribe Lyonieae , belonging to the subfamily Vaccinioideae of the heather family ( Ericaceae ) ^[5] .

Taxonomy scheme :

Views

The genus Pieris includes, according to modern concepts, seven species ^{[5] [8] [11]} ; previously it was believed that the number of species was greater than about twenty; in the 1980s, the number of species was estimated at about ten ^[6] .

A complete list of types of pieris with brief background information, including about the area :

• Pieris cubensis ( Griseb. ) Small ( 1914 ) - Pieris Cuban. Endemic to western Cuba and the island of Huventud (until 1978, the island of Pinos ). Shrub up to 2 m tall, blooming from February to May.
• Pieris floribunda ( Pursh ex Simms ) Benth. & Hook.f. ( 1876 ) - Pieris is abundantly flowering , or Pieris is mountainous , or Pieris is full-flowered ^[12] . East USA . A dense shrub up to 2 m high, characterized by early and abundant flowering ^[6] .
• Pieris formosa ( Wall. ) D.Don ( 1834 ) typus - Beautiful Pieris , or Chinese Pieris , or Himalayan Pieris . Himalayas , Southern China ( Yunnan ), Northern Myanmar . Dense and dense shrub or sapling; the height of an adult plant is up to 6 m ^[6] (usually not more than 3.5 m in culture). The flowers are white. The most beautiful view from the point of view of flowering, at the same time is not as cold-resistant as Pieris Japanese . ^[8] Pieris beautiful is actively used for growing in greenhouses. Description of beautiful pieris varieties see above . Previously, all these varieties were attributed to Pieris formosa var. forrestii Airy Shaw [ syn. Pieris forrestii ], but now this species is not isolated into a separate taxon ^[5] .
• Pieris japonica ( Thunb. ) D. Don ex G. Don ( 1834 ) - Pieris Japanese . East China , Japan , Taiwan . An elegant shrub that grows in nature up to 3.5 m; in culture, depending on the variety, has a height of 0.5 to 1.8 m. The leaves are brilliant, up to 10 cm long, at a young age - copper-red. The flowers are white, cultivars come in a different color. ^[8] See above for a description of the Japanese pieris varieties.
• Pieris nana ( Maxim. ) Makino (1894) - Dwarf pieris , or low pieris . Far East , Japan . A short, evergreen creeping shrub with short branches. Sometimes it stands out as a separate genus Arterica ( Arcterica ) with the only species Arcterica nana ( Maxim. ) Makino (1906) . If this species is considered as part of the genus Pieris, it forms the monotypic subgenus Pieris subgen. Arcterica ( Cov. ) Judd (1982) .
• Pieris phillyreifolia ( Hook. ) DC. ( 1839 ) - Pieris is philarelistic. Southeast USA . The species is so named for the similarity of its leaves with the leaves of plants from the genus Phillyrea of ​​the family Olive .
• Pieris swinhoei Hemsl. ( 1889 ) - Pieris Svayno. An endemic Chinese species found only in the southeastern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong . Shrub up to 3 m high, growing in forest thickets near streams in low hills at an altitude of about 700 m above sea level; blooms in April-July, the fruits ripen in July-September ^[13] . The species is named after Robert Svayno ( 1836 - 1877 ), an English biologist (primarily an ornithologist ), a Taiwan researcher.

List of Species Names

The following is a list of names of species of the genus Pieris with an indication of their current taxonomic status according to the information of the International Plant Names Index ^[14] and Tropicos ^[15] databases (valid names of the species of pieris are marked in bold):

• Pieris annamensis Dop (1930) = Lyonia ovalifolia ( Wall. ) Drude var. rubrovenia ( Merr. ) Judd (1979)
• Pieris bodinieri H.Lév. (1903) = Pieris formosa ( Wall. ) D. Don (1834)
• Pieris bracteata WWSm. (1916) = Vaccinium mandarinorum Diels (1900)
• Pieris buxifolia H.Lév. & Vaniot (1906) = Vaccinium triflorum Rehder (1934) - Three-flowered vaccine
• Pieris cavaleriei H.Lév. & Vaniot (1904) = Leucothoe griffithiana CBClarke (1882) - Leukotoe Griffith
• Pieris chapaensis Dop (1930) = Lyonia chapaensis ( Dop ) Merr. (1942)
• Pieris compta WWSm. & Jeffrey (1916) = Lyonia compta ( WWSm. & Jeffrey ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris coreana H.Lév. (1908) = Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. (1784)
• Pieris cubensis ( Griseb. ) Small (1914) - Pieris Cuban
• Pieris divaricata H.Lév. (1903) = Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. (1784) var. bracteatum
• Pieris doyonensis Hand.-Mazz. (1924) = Lyonia doyonensis ( Hand.-Mazz. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris duclouxii H.Lév. (1903) = Vaccinium duclouxii ( H.Lév. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1925) var. duclouxii
• Pieris elliptica ( Siebold & Zucc. ) Nakai (1919) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. elliptica ( Siebold & Zucc. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris esquirolii H.Lév. & Vaniot (1906) = Vaccinium mandarinorum Diels (1900)
• Pieris fauriei H.Lév. (1908) = Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. (1784)
• Pieris floribunda benth. & Hook.f. (1876) - Pieris abundantly flowering
• Pieris formosa ( Wall. ) D.Don ( 1834 ) - Pieris beautiful
• Pieris formosana Komat. (1916) = Pieris formosa ( Wall. ) D. Don ( 1834 )
• Pieris forrestii Harrow ex WWSm. (1914) = Pieris formosa ( Wall. ) D. Don ( 1834 )
• Pieris fortunati H.Lév. (1907) = Gaultheria leucocarpa var. yunnanensis ( Franch. ) TZHsu & RCFang (1999)
• Pieris gagnepainiana H.Lév. (1903) = Vaccinium fragile Franch. (1895) var. fragile
• Pieris griffithiana Hook.f. ex CBClarke = Leucothoë griffithiana CBClarke (1882)
• Pieris henryi H.Lév. (1906) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. hebecarpa ( Franch. ex FBForbes & Hemsl. ) Chun (1940)
• Pieris huiana Fang (1938) = Pieris formosa ( Wall. ) D. Don ( 1834 )
• Pieris japonica D.Don ex G.Don (1834) - Pieris Japanese
• Pieris koidzumiana Ohwi (1930) = Pieris japonica D. Don ex G. Don subsp. koidzumiana ( Ohwi ) Hatus. (1971) - Pieris Koizumi
• Pieris kouyangensis H.Lév. (1903) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. lanceolata ( Wall. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris lanceolata D. Don (1834) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. lanceolata ( Wall. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris longicornuta H.Lév. & Vaniot (1904) = Vaccinium mandarinorum Diels (1900)
• Pieris lucida H.Lév. (1906) = Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. (1784) var. bracteatum
• Pieris lucida ( Lam. ) Rehder (1915) = Lyonia lucida ( Lam. ) K. Koch (1872)
• Pieris macrocalyx J. Anthony (1927) = Lyonia macrocalyx ( J. Anthony ) Airy Shaw (1937)
• Pieris mairei H.Lév. (1915) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. hebecarpa ( Franch. ex FBForbes & Hemsl. ) Chun (1940)
• Pieris mariana Benth. & Hook.f. (1876) = Lyonia mariana ( L. ) D. Don (1834)
• Pieris martinii H.Lév. (1903) = Vaccinium dunalianum var. urophyllum Rehder & EHWilson (1913)
• Pieris nana ( Maxim. ) Makino (1894) - Pieris dwarf
• Pieris nitida Benth. & Hook.f. (1876) = Lyonia lucida ( Lam. ) K. Koch (1872)
• Pieris obliquinervis Merr. & Chun (1940) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. lanceolata ( Wall. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris oligodonta H.Lév. (1907) = Maesa japonica ( Thunb. ) Moritzi & Zoll. (1855)
• Pieris ovalifolia ( Wall. ) D. Don (1834) = Lyonia ovalifolia ( Wall. ) Drude - Lyonia ovalifolia
• Pieris phillyreifolia DC. (1839) - Pieris phillyreelis
• Pieris pilosa Komat. (1916) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. elliptica ( Siebold & Zucc. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris polita WWSm. & Jeffrey (1916) = Pieris japonica D. Don ex G. Don (1834)
• Pieris popowi Palib. (1906) = Pieris japonica D. Don ex G. Don (1834)
• Pieris repens H.Lév. (1903) = Vaccinium fragile Franch. (1895) var. fragile
• Pieris rubroveni Merr. (1923) = Lyonia ovalifolia ( Wall. ) Drude var. rubrovenia ( Merr. ) Judd (1979)
• Pieris shanica WWSm. (1911) = Craibiodendron shanicum WWSm. (1911)
• Pieris sinensis Sweet (1839) = Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. (1784)
• Pieris swinhoei Hemsl. (1890) - Pieris Svayno
• Pieris taiwanensis Hayata (1911) = Pieris japonica D. Don ex G. Don (1834)
• Pieris ulbrichii H.Lév. (1906) = Lyonia ovalifolia var. lanceolata ( Wall. ) Hand.-Mazz. (1936)
• Pieris vaccinium H.Lév. (1911) = Gaultheria leucocarpa var. yunnanensis ( Franch. ) TZHsu & RCFang (1999)
• Pieris villosa Hook.f. ex CBClarke = Lyonia villosa ( Hook.f. ex CBClarke ) Hand.-Mazz. - Shaggy Lyon

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• Pieris в разделе «Флора Китая» сайта eFloras (англ.) (Проверено 2 декабря 2008)
• Pieris на сайте университета штата Огайо (англ.) (Проверено 4 декабря 2008)
• Пиерис (англ.) информация на сайте « Энциклопедия жизни » (EOL). (англ.) (Проверено 2 февраля 2009)
• Watson, L. ; Dallwitz, MJ Семейства цветковых растений. Ericaceae (англ.) (Проверено 18 января 2009)
• Вересковые (англ.) : информация на сайте APWeb (Проверено 20 апреля 2010) .
• Вересковые в разделе «Флора Китая» сайта eFloras (англ.) (англ.) (Проверено 18 января 2009)
• Подсемейство Вакциниевые, триба Лиониевые на сайте Wake Forest University (США) (англ.) (Проверено 27 января 2009)