Pieris

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Ordo: Ericales

Familia: Ericaceae
Subfamilia: Vaccinioideae
Tribus: Lyonieae
Genus: Pieris
Subgenera: P. subg. Arcterica – P. subg. Pieris

Species: P. amamioshimensis – P. cubensis – P. elliptica – P. floribunda – P. formosa – P. formosana – P. henryi – P. japonica – P. koidzumiana – P. kouyangensis – P. lanceolata – P. mairei – P. martini – P. nana – P. obliquinervis – P. phillyreifolia – P. pilosa – P. swinhoei – P. ulbrichii
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Pieris in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 May 25. Reference page.

Name

Pieris D.Don (1834)

Type species: P. formosa (Wall.) D.Don.

Synonyms

Homotypic
Andromeda sect. Pieris (D.Don) A.Gray, Manual, ed. 2, 254. 1856.
Lyonia sect. Pieris (D.Don) K.Koch, Dendrologie 2: 116. 1872.
Pieridia Rchb., Deutsche Bot. Herbarienbuch (Nom.) 127. 1841.

Heterotypic
Ampelothamnus Small, Shrubs Florida 96. 1913.
Type species: A. phyllyreifolius (Hook.) Small
Arcterica Coville, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci. 3: 573. 1901.
Type species: A. nana (Maxim.) Makino
Portuna Nutt.
Type species: P. floribunda (Pursh) Nutt.

References
Primary references

Don, D. 1834. Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal 17: 159.

Links

Hassler, M. 2020. Pieris. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 May 25. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Pieris in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 May 25. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Pieris. Published online. Accessed: May 25 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Pieris. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 May 25.
Farr, E.R. & Zijlstra, G. (eds.) 1996 onwards. Pieris in Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). Accessed: 2011 Dec 11.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Lavendelheide, Schattenglöckchen
suomi: Kellovaiverot
日本語: アセビ属
русский: Пиерис
svenska: Buskroslingssläktet
中文: 马醉木属

Pieris (/ˈpaɪ.ərɪs/ or /ˈpɪərɪs/[1])[2] is a genus of seven species of shrubs in the flowering plant family Ericaceae, native to mountain regions of eastern and southern Asia, eastern North America and Cuba. Known commonly in North America as andromedas or fetterbushes, they are broad-leaved evergreen shrubs growing to 1–6 metres (3 ft 3 in–19 ft 8 in) tall and 3–10 ft (0.9–3.0 m) wide. The leaves are spirally arranged, often appearing to be in whorls at the end of each shoot with bare stretches of shoot below; they are lanceolate-ovate, 2–10 cm (0.8–3.9 in) long and 1.0–3.5 cm (0.4–1.4 in) broad, leathery textured, and with an entire or serrated margin. The young leaves in spring are typically brightly coloured. The flowers are bell-shaped, 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long, white or pink, and arranged in racemes 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) long. The fruit is a woody capsule which splits into five sections to release the numerous small seeds.

Pieris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the engrailed.

The genus name derives from Pieria, a place in Greece, according to Greek mythology the home of the Muses.[1]

Species

Pieris cubensis (Grisebach) Small. Western Cuba.
Pieris floribunda (Pursh ex Simms) Benth. & Hook. – mountain andromeda, mountain pieris, mountain fetterbush. Eastern United States.
Pieris formosa (Wallich) D.Don – Chinese pieris, Himalayan pieris. The Himalaya, southwestern China (Yunnan), northern Myanmar.
Pieris japonica (Thunb.) D.Don ex G.Don – Japanese andromeda. Eastern China, Japan, Taiwan.
Pieris nana (Maxim.) Makino (syn. Arcterica nana). Japan, eastern Siberia.
Pieris phillyreifolia (Hook.) DC. – climbing fetterbush. Southeastern United States.
Pieris swinhoei Hemsley – southeastern China (Fujian, Guangdong).

Cultivation

They are commonly grown as ornamental plants, valued for year-round interest due to bright red new growth in early spring, chains of small, white flowers in mid-spring, and buds that remain on the plant through the winter. Numerous cultivars have been selected for different spring foliage colour. They grow best in a shady spot, sheltered from drying, winter winds. They prefer acid soil, and should be mulched once per year, using a two-inch covering of either peat or composted pine needles. The flowers give the plant one of its alternative names, 'Lily of the valley shrub' (though Pieris is not closely related to Convallaria).
Cultivars

The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-[3]

'Blush'[4]
'Cavatine'[5]
'Debutante'[6]
'Firecrest'[7]
'Flaming silver'[8]
'Forest flame'[9]
'Mountain fire'[10]
'Pink delight'[11]
'Prelude'[12]
'Purity'[13]
'Sarabande'[14]
'Valley Valentine'[15]
'Wakehurst'[16]

Toxicity

Pieris floribunda (mountain fetterbush) has been noted as highly toxic.[17][18]
References

"Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data". languages.oup.com.
"Pieris". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
"AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 78. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Blush'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Cavatine'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Debutante'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris 'Firecrest'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris 'Flaming Silver'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris 'Forest Flame'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Pink Delight'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Prelude'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Purity'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Sarabande'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris japonica 'Valley Valentine'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
"RHS Plant Selector – Pieris formosa var. forrestii 'Wakehurst'". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
Pieris japonica Archived 2013-01-04 at the Wayback Machine North Carolina State University "Poisonous Plants of North Carolina" online reference]
"Pieris floribunda (Fetterbush, Mountain Andromeda, Mountain Fetter-bush, Mountain Pieris) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu.