Genus of the Month

January

This page has been created for people who want to learn more about plants, especially in the context of their taxonomy (Latin names, etc.). This is by no means an exhaustive list of all available Web resources for a particular genus.

If you like this page, you might also want to visit the Land of the Glandular Trichomes , a microscopic look at plants in the Lamiaceae family. Also, you can see my contribution to the Conservation New England web site, entitled "The Introduction of Non-Native Plants into Massachusetts".

This month's genus:

Callistemon

Young Callistemon tree in Florida. Photo taken by Joan Forman.
May not be used without permission.

Subclass: Dicotyledoneae
Superorder: Rosidae
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Number of Species: At least 34
Root: Latin for "beautiful stamen", a reference to the striking flowers

The genus Callistemon is part of the Myrtaceae, a family of woody plants found mostly in Australia and the Americas. Callistemon species, often known by the common name "Bottlebrush", are grown as ornamentals in warmer protions of the United States.

Here are a few links to images and descriptions of different Callistemon species:

The FloriData web site has photos and a description of C. citrinus (Lemon Bottlebrush).
Click here to see a beautiful closeup of a flower of C. citrinus, from Clark Brunt's Home Page (part of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden web site).
Find out more about the many species of Callistemon native to Australia from the Australian National Botanic Gardens web site.
Find out about growing Callistemon species from Botany.com

References:

Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, Oxford University Press: 1993.

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