Holodiscus

Holodiscus (syn. Sericotheca) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the Americas, from southwestern British Columbia, Canada and the western United States south to Bolivia. The species are deciduous shrubs growing to 1-5 m tall.

Species

Seven to ten species are accepted by different authors, including:

  • Holodiscus australis western US (New Mexico; included in H. discolor by USDA)
  • Holodiscus argenteus Mexico
  • Holodiscus discolor (syn. H. boursieri) coastal western North America
  • Holodiscus dumosus interior western North America
  • Holodiscus fissus Central America
  • Holodiscus microphyllus western US (Nevada, Utah; included in H. discolor by USDA)
  • Holodiscus nitida Colombia
  • Holodiscus orizabae southern Mexico
  • Holodiscus pernethyoides Bolivia
  • Holodiscus saxicola western US (California; accepted by New York Botanical Gardens herbarium but not by USDA)

The position of the genus in the family Rosaceae has changed over the last century as more detailed studies have been carried out. It has been place in subfamily Maloideae, but recent molecular evidence places all of (the former) subfamily Maloideae inside subfamily Amygdaloideae.