Forsythia europaea, commonly known as Albanian forsythia or European forsythia,[2][3] is a species of flowering plant in the olive family, with a native range from Montenegro to northern Albania.[4] It is the only species of Forsythia native to Europe;[2] prior to its discovery in Albania in 1897, it was thought that all Forsythia were native to East Asia.[5]
Forsythia europaea | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Oleaceae |
Genus: | Forsythia |
Species: | F. europaea
|
Binomial name | |
Forsythia europaea |
F. europaea is a shrub,[6] and can grow up to 10 ft (3 m) tall.[7] Its leaves are 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) in length, and are generally entire (smooth edged).[8] It produces numerous yellow flowers,[5] which are 1.25 in (3.2 cm) in diameter.[7]
The closest relative of F. europaea is F. giraldiana, a species of Forsythia native to China.[9]
F. europaea was first cultivated in 1899, at Kew Gardens in London, United Kingdom.[7] It is not as widely cultivated as other species of Forsythia as it is not as ornamental,[6] although it is still occasionally grown in parks and gardens.[6][10]
Cultivars produced by hybridisation of F. europaea with F. ovata, a more ornamental species of Forsythia native to Korea,[11] include: