Colletia Knowpia

Colletia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae, with five species of spiny shrubs. All species of this genus are native to southern South America. They are non-legume nitrogen fixers.

Taxonomy edit

Colletia comprises the following species:^[1]^[2]

Colletia hystrix Clos - pink crucifixion thorn
Colletia paradoxa (Spreng.) Escal. - crucifixion thorn, thorn of the cross, anchor plant
Colletia spartioides Bertero ex Colla
Colletia spinosissima J.F.Gmel.
Colletia ulicina Gillies & Hook.

The status of the following species and hybrids is unresolved:^[1]

Celtis iguanaea (Jacq.) Sarg. (as Colletia iguanaea Scop.)
Discaria americana Gillies & Hook. (as Colletia longispina Hook. & Arn. and C. longissima Steud.)
Retanilla stricta Hook. & Arn. (as Colletia tetrandra Clos)
Retanilla trinervia (Gillies & Hook.) Hook. & Arn. (as Colletia treba Bertero ex Colla)
Rhamnus diffusa Clos (as Colletia maytenoides Griseb.)
Scutia spicata (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Schult.) Weberb. (as Colletia spicata Humb. & Bonpl. ex Schult.)
Trevoa campanulata (Phil.) Reiche (as Colletia campanulata Phil.)
Trevoa quinquenervia Gillies & Hook. (as Colletia tralhuen Bertero ex Colla)

^ ^a ^b "The Plant List entry for Colletia". The Plant List, v.1.1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden. September 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
^ Govaerts R. "Colletia Comm. ex Juss.". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 December 2020.

Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.