Home/Species/ Coastal Sweet-pepperbush

Clethra alnifolia

Coastal Sweet-pepperbush

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.869567

Element CodePDCLE01040

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderEricales

FamilyClethraceae

GenusClethra

Other Common Names

Clèthre à feuilles d'aulne (FR) Summersweet (EN) Sweet Pepperbush (EN)

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 (vol. 8, 2009) accepts Clethra alnifolia and C. tomentosa as distinct species, C. alnifolia occurring from Nova Scotia to Florida, C. tomentosa occurring only in southern states, from South Carolina to Florida, west to Louisiana. Kartesz (1999) included C. tomentosa in synonomy of C. alnifolia.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2020-08-17

Change Date2013-05-02

Edition Date2020-08-17

Edition AuthorsFrances (2020)

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Clethra alnifolia is a wide-ranging shrub that occurs in eastern North America from Nova Scotia south to Florida and Texas. Threats and diseases are considered negligible. It is cultivated and frequently used in native plant landscapes.

Range Extent Comments

Clethra alnifolia occurs throughout much of eastern North America, ranging from southern Nova Scotia and Maine south to northern Florida, and west to eastern Texas.

Occurrences Comments

Based on herbaria collections and 'research grade' photo-based observations, there are well over 300 occurrences (GBIF 2020, iNaturalist 2020).

Threat Impact Comments

Clethra alnifolia is threatened by development, invasive species, and other threats prominent in eastern North America. However, these threats are considered negligible given the broad range and large number of occurrences of the species.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Clethra alnifolia occurs in moist to wet habitats along the coastal plain of eastern North America. It generally occurs in moist, acidic, poorly drained or sandy soils. It is an understory shrub that grows beneath old growth trees in shade (Flora of North America 2009, USDA 2020).

Ecology

Clethra alnifolia is tolerant to some salt spray but does not tolerate direct exposure to salinity (USDA 2020).

Reproduction

The species has stoloniferous roots supporting vegetative spread, in addition to sexual reproduction (Coladonato 1991).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/Woodland

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLANDRiparian

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Maryland	SNR	Yes
Pennsylvania	SNR	Yes
Vermont	SU	Yes
New York	S5	Yes
South Carolina	SNR	Yes
Maine	S2	Yes
North Carolina	S5	Yes
Massachusetts	SNR	Yes
Virginia	S5	Yes
Rhode Island	SNR	Yes
Georgia	SNR	Yes
Florida	S4	Yes
Delaware	S5	Yes
Louisiana	S4	Yes
Connecticut	SNR	Yes
Texas	SNR	Yes
Tennessee	S1	Yes
New Hampshire	SNR	Yes
New Jersey	S5	Yes
Alabama	S5	Yes
District of Columbia	SNR	Yes
Mississippi	SNR	Yes

CanadaN2

Province	Rank	Native
Prince Edward Island	SNR	Yes
Nova Scotia	S2	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Negligible (<1%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areas	Negligible (<1%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Negligible (<1%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Negligible (<1%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
8.1.1 - Unspecified species	Negligible (<1%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL, DECIDUOUS

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (5)

New Hampshire (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Pemigewasset	White Mountain National Forest	32,255

North Carolina (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Catfish Lake North	Croatan National Forest	11,299
Pocosin Addition	Croatan National Forest	286
Pond Pine B	Croatan National Forest	2,961
Sheep Ridge Addition	Croatan National Forest	5,808

References (6)

Coladonato, M. 1991. <i>Clethra alnifolia</i>. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Online. Available: www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/clealn/all.html (accessed 18 Aug 2020).
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.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2020. GBIF data accessed through GeoCAT portal. Online. Available: http://geocat.kew.org/ (accessed 2020).
iNaturalist. 2020. Online. Available: http://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2020).
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, PLANTS Database [USDA PLANTS]. http://plants.usda.gov/. Accessed 2020.

Clethra alnifolia

Habitat

Ecology

Reproduction

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