Enkianthus is a genus of shrubs or small trees in the heath family, Ericaceae. Its native range is in Asia, as far west as the eastern Himalayas, as far south as Indochina, and as far north and east as China and Japan.
This genus is considered cladistically the most basal member of the Ericaceae, that is, the descendant of the common ancestor of that Ericaceae that branched earliest from the rest of that family. It is classified as the sole member of the subfamily Enkianthoideae.
Species Twelve to fifteen species are included in the genus by various authors.Sarwar, A. and H. Takahashi (2006). Pollen morphology of Enkianthus (Ericaceae) and its taxonomic significance. Grana 45 161-74. Species include:Enkianthus. BioLib.cz. Image Name Common name Distribution Enkianthus campanulatus (Miq.) G. Nicholson redvein enkianthus Japan Enkianthus cernuus (Sieb. & Zucc.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Makino Japan Enkianthus chinensis Franch. China Enkianthus deflexus (Griff.) C.K.Schneid. China, Himalaya, Nepal Enkianthus nudipes (Honda) Ohwi Enkianthus pallidiflorus Craib Enkianthus pauciflorus E.H.Wilson China Enkianthus perulatus C.K.Schneid. China, Japan Enkianthus quinqueflorus Lour. China Enkianthus recurvus Craib Enkianthus ruber Dop Vietnam Enkianthus sikokianus (Palib.) Ohwi Enkianthus subsessilis (Miq.) Makino Enkianthus serotinus Chun & W.P.Fang China Enkianthus serrulatus (E.H.Wilson) C.K.Schneid. China Enkianthus taiwanianus T.S.Ying Taiwan Enkianthus tectus Craib Enkianthus tubulatus P. C. Tam.
Cultivation Several species are found in cultivation, notably E. campanulatus, E. cernuus and E. perulatus. E. cernuus f. rubens (drooping red enkianthus) has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. References