Sycamoreleaf snowbell facts for kids
The sycamoreleaf snowbell (Styrax platanifolius) is a pretty flowering plant. It belongs to the Styracaceae family. You can find this plant growing in northeastern Mexico and in Texas, USA. It especially likes the Edwards Plateau area.
Quick facts for kids Sycamoreleaf snowbell |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Styrax
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| Species: |
platanifolius
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What Does It Look Like?
The sycamoreleaf snowbell is a shrub. It can grow quite tall, up to 6 meters (about 20 feet).
Its leaves can look different from one plant to another. They are usually oval-shaped. Their edges can be smooth, have small teeth, or even have rounded lobes. These leaves are about 4.5 to 12 centimeters long.
The plant produces beautiful white flowers. They are shaped like bells and are about 1 to 2 centimeters long. These flowers can grow alone or in small groups of up to seven.
After the flowers, the plant grows a fruit. This fruit is a round, hairy capsule. It is about 1 centimeter long.
Different Kinds of Sycamoreleaf Snowbells
There are five main types, or subspecies, of the sycamoreleaf snowbell. Think of subspecies as different versions of the same plant. They are all Styrax platanifolius, but they have small differences.
Scientists used to think some of these were completely separate plants. But by looking closely at their DNA (like a plant's instruction manual), they found out these types are very closely related. So, they decided to group them as subspecies of Styrax platanifolius.
These subspecies are mostly different because of the tiny hairs on their leaves and other parts. Some have more hairs, or the hairs are arranged differently.
Here are the five subspecies:
- S. p. ssp. mollis: This type is found in Mexico, in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains.
- S. p. ssp. platanifolius: This used to be the most common type, but now it is quite rare.
- S. p. ssp. stellatus (also called hairy sycamoreleaf snowbell): This type is rare. You can find it along the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau. Its leaves have white, star-shaped hairs.
- S. p. ssp. texanus (also called Texas snowbell): This subspecies is very rare. It is listed as an endangered species in the United States. This means it is protected by law because there are so few left. There are only about 22 groups of these plants remaining in Texas.
- S. p. ssp. youngiae (also called Young's snowbell): This type grows in Mexico and possibly in the Davis Mountains of Texas.
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Leaves of ssp. stellatus have white stellate hairs
