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Jetbead

Rhodotypos scandens

Summary 7

Rhodotypos scandens, the sole species of the genus Rhodotypos, is a deciduous shrub in the family Rosaceae, closely related to Kerria and included in that genus by some botanists. It is native to China, possibly also Japan.

Description 8

Jetbead is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub that was introduced from Central China, Korea and Japan in 1866 for ornamental purposes. Found in at least 17 states east of the Mississippi, it has recently come to the attention of land managers who noticed it becoming invasive in natural habitats away from intentional plantings. It is very shade tolerant and can do well in forest edges and interiors. Once established, it shades out native plants in the ground layer and inhibits native tree generation. Jetbead spreads by seed and by vegetative means. It can grow to 6 ft. in height and has opposite simple leaves 2½-4 in. long with doubly serrate toothed margins and conspicuous ribbed veins with long pointed tips. It flowers in the spring, producing white four-petaled flowers about 2 in. across. Small pale to red turning black, bead-like fruits are produced soon after flowering. Jetbead invades forests, creating a thick shrub layer that displaces native shrubs, shades out understory species and restricts tree seedling establishment.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Steve Guttman NYC, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveguttman/5692722869/
  2. (c) PlantCollections, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.dev.morphbank.net/?id=643412&imgType=jpg
  3. (c) PlantCollections, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.dev.morphbank.net/?id=643407&imgType=jpg
  4. (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/JCS%20Rhodotypos%20scandens%2053126.JPG
  5. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10360746
  6. (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Rhodotypos-scandens-habit.JPG
  7. Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodotypos_scandens
  8. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22734066

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