Taxon	Illustrator ⠉
	Cliftonia Cliftonia monophylla Cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora Pyrola Pyrola picta	Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Barbara Alongi Barbara Alongi

Illustrator: Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Shrubs or trees, deciduous or semievergreen, usually much-branched from base. Leaves: petiole present; blade with prominent midrib and clearly visible lateral-veins on both surfaces. Inflorescences clustered at distal ends of branchlets of previous season, produced after shoot growth of current season begins, 6–18 cm; bract persistent. Pedicels: bracteoles persistent, 2. Flowers: sepals lanceolate-ovate, apex acute to acuminate; petals ovate to ovatelanceolate, base not clawed, apex acute; stamens 5; filaments terete, somewhat expanded basally; ovary 2–3 (–4) -locular; ovules 1–3 per locule; stigma 2–3 (–4) -lobed. Fruits berrylike, unwinged, ovoid to subglobose. Seeds usually absent, sometimes 1–4.

Distribution

e, sc United States, s Mexico, West Indies, Central America, n South America

Discussion

Species 1: e, sc United States, s Mexico, West Indies, Central America, n South America.

Several species or varieties of Cyrilla have been distinguished on the basis of local variation in leaf and inflorescence size; most recent floristic treatments follow J. L. Thomas (1960) and recognize a single variable species.

Species 1

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Cyrilla racemiflora