Daphne (plant)

Daphne (, "laurel") is a genus of between 70 and 95 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to Asia, Europe and north Africa. They are noted for their scented flowers and often brightly coloured berries. Two species are used to make paper. Many species are grown in gardens as ornamental plants; the smaller species are often used in rock gardens. All parts of daphnes are poisonous for humans, especially the berries, though birds eat these freely to disperse the seeds.

Description

Daphne species are shrubs, with upright or prostrate stems. Upright species may grow to , with D. gnidium reported to 2 m, Their leaves are undivided, mostly arranged spirally or alternately (although opposite in D. genkwa), and have short petioles (stalks). The leaves tend to be clustered towards the end of the stems and are of different shapes, although always longer than wide. The leaf surface may be smooth (glabrous) or hairy. The type species of the genus is Daphne laureola. The number of species in the genus varies considerably between different authorities. The Flora of China states there are about 95 species, 41 of which are endemic to China, and the Euro+Med Plantbase accepts 21 species in the Western Palaearctic region. Some of these species were reduced to subspecies or varieties by Josef Halda in a series of papers from 1997 onwards, revealed that Wikstroemia and Daphne formed two closely related but distinct groups, though some species (D. genkwa,

Daphne acutiloba Rehder
Daphne alpina L.
Daphne altaica Pall.
Daphne angustiloba Rehder
Daphne arbuscula Čelak.
Daphne arisanensis Hayata
Daphne aurantiaca Diels
Daphne axillaris (Merr. & Chun) Chun & C.F.Wei
Daphne axilliflora (Keissl.) Pobed.
Daphne baksanica Pobed.
Daphne bholua Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Daphne blagayana Freyer
Daphne brevituba H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang
Daphne caucasica Pall.
Daphne championii Benth.
Daphne chingshuishaniana S.S.Ying
Daphne cneorum L.
Daphne depauperata H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang
Daphne domini Halda
Daphne emeiensis C.Y.Chang
Daphne erosiloba C.Y.Chang
Daphne esquirolii H.Lév.
Daphne feddei H.Lév.
Daphne gemmata E.Pritz.
Daphne genkwa Siebold & Zucc.
Daphne giraldii Nitsche
Daphne glomerata Lam.
Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach
Daphne gnidium L.
Daphne gracilis E.Pritz.
Daphne grueningiana H.J.P.Winkl.
Daphne hekouensis H.W.Li & Y.M.Shui
Daphne holosericea (Diels) Hamaya
Daphne jarmilae Halda
Daphne jasminea Sm.
Daphne jejudoensis M.Kim
Daphne jezoensis Maxim.
Daphne jinyunensis C.Yung Chang
Daphne jinzhaiensis D.C.Zhang & J.Z.Shao
Daphne kamtschatica Maxim.
Daphne kingdon-wardii Halda
Daphne kiusiana Miq.
Daphne kosaninii (Stoj.) Stoj.
Daphne kurdica (Bornm.) Bornm.
Daphne laciniata Lecomte
Daphne laureola L.
Daphne leishanensis H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang
Daphne limprichtii H.J.P.Winkl.
Daphne longilobata (Lecomte) Turrill
Daphne longituba C.Yung Chang
Daphne ludlowii D.G.Long & Rae
Daphne luzonica C.B.Rob.
Daphne macrantha Ludlow
Daphne malyana Blečić
Daphne mezereum L.
Daphne miyabeana Makino
Daphne modesta Rehder
Daphne morrisonensis C.E.Chang
Daphne mucronata Royle
Daphne myrtilloides Nitsche
Daphne nana Tagawa
Daphne odora Thunb.
Daphne ogisui C.D.Brickell, B.Mathew & Yin Z.Wang
Daphne oleoides Schreb.
Daphne pachyphylla D.Fang
Daphne papyracea Wall. ex G.Don
Daphne pedunculata H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang
Daphne penicillata Rehder
Daphne petraea Leyb.
Daphne pontica L.
Daphne pseudomezereum A.Gray
Daphne pseudosericea Pobed.
Daphne purpurascens S.C.Huang
Daphne retusa Hemsl.
Daphne rhynchocarpa C.Y.Chang
Daphne rodriguezii Texidor
Daphne rosmarinifolia Rehder
Daphne sericea Vahl
Daphne sojakii Halda
Daphne sophia Kolenicz.
Daphne souliei (Lecomte) Aymonin
Daphne stapfii Bornm. & Keissl.
Daphne striata Tratt.
Daphne sureil W.W.Sm. & Cave
Daphne tangutica Maxim.
Daphne taurica Kotov
Daphne taylorii Halda
Daphne tenuiflora Bureau & Franch.
Daphne thanguensis J.Ghosh, Midday, S.K.Dey & D.Maity
Daphne transcaucasica Pobed.
Daphne tripartita H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang
Daphne velenovskyi Halda
Daphne wangiana (Hamaya) Halda
Daphne wolongensis C.D.Brickell & B.Mathew
Daphne xichouensis H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang
Daphne yangtoushanensis S.S.Ying
Daphne yunnanensis H.F.Zhou ex C.Y.Chang

Hybrids

Hybrids accepted by Plants of the World Online are: – D. cneorum × D. caucasica

D. × napolitana Lodd. has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit – origin not known the correct name may be D. × medfordensis Halda
D. × schlyteri – artificial hybrid D. cneorum × D. arbuscula

Distribution

Daphne is a Eurasian genus, being native to central and southern Europe and Asia, The smaller species are used as rock garden plants or, in the case of those more difficult to grow, as plants for the alpine house. It is recommended that they are grown in well drained but moisture-retentive soil, avoiding strongly acid conditions. Most species prefer a sunny position, although some are woodland plants (e.g. D. mezereum and D. pontica). Propagation is by seed, cuttings or layering.

Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'
Daphne bholua var. glacialis 'Gurkha'
Daphne × burkwoodii 'Somerset'
Daphne cneorum 'Eximia'
Daphne × rollsdorfii 'Wilhelm Schacht'
Daphne tangutica Retusa Group
Daphne × transatlantica = 'Blafra' PBR

Toxicity

All parts of daphnes are toxic, the berries being particularly so. One active compound is daphnin, a glycoside, combining glucose with daphnetin. Some species have been shown to contain a further toxin, mezerein. Symptoms of ingestion include burning sensations and lesions of the mouth and upper digestive tract, gastroenteritis and diarrhoea, and in severe cases, damage to the kidneys (nephritis), irregular heart rhythm, and coma. The sap and berry juice can cause dermatitis and the scent may affect the odor-sensitive.

Bibliography

External links

Flora Europaea: Daphne