Native Plants
Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.
Cliftonia monophylla
Cliftonia monophylla (Lam.) Britton ex Sarg.
Buckwheat Tree, Buckwheat Bush
Cyrillaceae (Cyrilla Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: CLMO2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
A thicket-forming shrub or small tree to 12-18 ft., sometimes more, with attractive, dark, shiny, thick leaves and white to pinkish, terminal or axillary, fragrant flower clusters. Conspicuous anthers are orange-colored. Fruits are yellowish and buckwheat-like.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Entire
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Samara
Size Notes: Up to about 45 feet tall, often much shorter.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , PinkBloom Time: Mar , Apr , May
Distribution
USA: AL , FL , GA , LA , MS , SCNative Distribution: Coastal plain from GA to FL & LA
Native Habitat: Acid swamps, bogs & wet ditches
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: SunSoil Moisture: Wet
Soil Description: Wet, acid peaty or sandy soil.
Conditions Comments: Does not tolerate competition from other trees or shrubs. No serious disease or insect problems.
Propagation
Description: Increase by cuttings taken in mid-summer.Commercially Avail: yes
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | OBL | OBL |
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Crosby Arboretum - Picayune, MS
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE
Bibliography
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. WasowskiSearch More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Research Literature
Reslit 429 - Sulfate reduction in freshwater wetland soils and the effects of sulfate and substrate loading (1998) J. N. Feng and Y. P. HsiehReslit 696 - Vegetation responses to helicopter and ground based logging in blackwater floodplain forests (2000) R. H. Jones, S. L. Stokes, B. G. Lockaby and J. A....
Reslit 1245 - Unusual pit membrane remnants in perforation plates of Cyrillaceae (2003) E. L. Schneider and S. Carliquist
Reslit 1433 - Studies in the family Cyrillaceae. I. Development of male and female gametophytes in Cliftonia monophylla (Lam.) Britton ex Sarg. (1969) M. Vijayara
This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
Search More Titles in Research Literature
Additional resources
USDA: Find Cliftonia monophylla in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Cliftonia monophylla in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Cliftonia monophylla
Metadata
Record Modified: 2022-10-03Research By: TWC Staff