Home/Species/ Downy Sweet-pepperbush

Clethra tomentosa

Lamarck

Downy Sweet-pepperbush

G4Apparently Secure (G3G5) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.869553

Element CodePDCLE01030

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderEricales

FamilyClethraceae

GenusClethra

Concept Reference

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

Flora of North America (2009) treats Clethra alnifolia and C. tomentosa as distinct species, with C. alnifolia occurring from Nova Scotia to Florida and C. tomentosa occurring only in southern states. Kartesz (1999) included C. tomentosa in synonomy of C. alnifolia.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2020-08-13

Change Date2020-08-13

Edition Date2020-08-13

Edition AuthorsFrances

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 to >300

Rank Reasons

Clethra tomentosa occurs in the southern United States in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It is unclear if the species occurs in North Carolina. Clethra tomentosa a variety of wetland habitats in forested systems including pocosins, streambanks, and swamps. More information is needed on abundance, threats, and trends to determine a more exact Global Rank.

Range Extent Comments

Clethra tomentosa occurs in southern states from eastern South Carolina south to Florida and west to eastern Louisiana. Flora of North America (2009) includes North Carolina as part of the distribution but Weakley (2015) does not. The calculated range extent does not include material from North Carolina.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Clethra tomentosa occurs in forested wetlands throughout the southeastern United States in habitats including swamps, streambanks, pocosin, and damp woods (Flora of North America 2009; Weakley 2015).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/Woodland

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian

Other Nations (1)

United StatesNNR

Province	Rank	Native
Louisiana	SNR	Yes
Florida	S3	Yes
Georgia	SNR	Yes
South Carolina	S4	Yes
North Carolina	SNR	Yes
Mississippi	S4	Yes

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

Florida (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Savannah	Apalachicola National Forest	1,927

References (2)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Online. Available: www.herbarium.unc.edu/FloraArchives/WeakleyFlora_2015-05-29.pdf (Accessed 2015).