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Electric lettuse/sandbox
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Styracaceae
Genus:	Styrax
Species:	S. grandifolius
Binomial name
Styrax grandifolius Aiton.

Styrax grandifolius

The plant grows as a deciduous shrub or tree up to 6 metres (20 ft) high. With dark and streaky bark, and as the specific epithet suggests, the species has larger leaves than sympatric Styracaceae, with alternate, obovate leaves up to 14 cm long and 10 cm wide that are densely pubescent underneath. This causes the underside of the leaf to seem whitish grey, with a dark green topside. These simple leaves are broadly obovate to suborbicular in shape with broadly tapered to rounded bases, with petioles from 2-10 mm. long.

Styrax grandifolius flowers that grow in larger clusters than other species in its genus, having as many as 20 flowers within a raceme. Flowers are borne during early summer in racemes containing up to 20 with and white flowers. These flowers are composed of 5 fused sepals, 5 petals that are fused at the based and freed above. There are 10 stamens tipped with yellow or orangish anthers, with a partly inferior ovary.

These flowers produce a nut-like fruit, with a 7-9 mm diameter, called a drupe from June to October. The brownish green fruit produces up to 3 seeds.

These plants are very similar looking to the American snow bell (Styrax americanus), The American snowbell has smaller leaves and fewer flowers.

Etymoloy

The Styrax grandifolius, or the Bigleaf Snowbell was first described and named by Scottish botanist William Aiton in 1789; who described a speciment sent from South Carolina. The epithet ,grandifolius, is comes from the Latin, which translates to big leaf. The prefix ,grandi, meaning large, and the Latin noun ,folia, or leaf.

Uses

Bigleaf Snowbell can be easily propagated via leaf cutting. Styrax grandifolius also often used as an ornamental plant due to its showy and copious flowers

Taxonomy

The Styrax genus was original described by Linnaeus in 1753. William Aiton a Scottish botaines described S. Grandifolium in 1789. There are 130 different members of the Styrax genus mostly from Eastern and Southeast Asia, there are five spices from North America. This genus is made up of small to medium sized trees and large shrubs.

Styrax grandifolium can often be confused with Styrax americanus, due to they both have similar ranges. They also look very similar to each other also, the only notable difference being a difference in leaf size, Styrax grandifolium has larger leaves than Styrax americanus

Distribution and Habitat

Styrax grandifoliusis a plant species native to the southeastern United States, ranging from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas and Missouri. and is most commonly found in upland forests of the southeast piedmont. Bigleaf snowbells grow in shaded areas, open mesic upland forests, or in the vicinity of floodplains. often on well- drained slopes.

These plants can grow in many different kinds of soil conditions, such as rocky clay, sandy soil on hillsides, to gravelly soil. they also have broad pH tolerance, being able to grow in soil with a pH from 5-7, and often found in a wide elevation range from as low as approximately 90 ft to as high as 1,300 ft.. Despite Styrax grandifolius being able to grow in several different soil types, conditions, and deal with moderate disturbance as well as some types of forest fires. They have a low tolerance for saturated soil and direct sunlight, which is why its often found as an under story plant.

Ecology

Styrax grandifolius occurs in many different communities. This is an under-story plant and can be found underneath almost any tree in North America. They also attract several different pollinators, the most common of which are honeybees and bumblebees. Other pollinators also will seek out the BIgleaf snowbell such as, swallowtail butterflies, syrphid flies, sphingid moths, wasps, and solitary bees.

Protection Status & Potential Threats

Styrax grandifolius is considered to be secure worldwide by the Nature Conservancy. However, in the United States the Styrax grandifolius status varies from state to state. In Illinois and Indiana it is considered endangered, while in Virginia it is only on the watch list, then finally in Ohio its presumed extricated. These plants like many other plants are at risk from some forest management methods that clear the forest canopy in any way, such as clear cutting or even selective logging of larger trees. This is due to Styrax grandifolius intolerance to direct sun exposure. Land development is another threat to these plants, while Styrax grandifolius can withstand some damage from landscaping; however compacted soil drying soil is very hard on these plants. Aggressive and native and invasive spp, such as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) can negatively impact Bigleaf Snowbell. In the south, Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) poses a large treat to Styrax grandifolius. Bigleaf Snowbells are also susceptible to extreme cold and drought, however this usually only occurs in population that appear at the extreme margin of its range, such as those that grow in the higher elevations of South Carolina can be susceptible to flower bud freeze off in early spring. However towards the center of a species’ distribution these stresses are usually not evident.

References

grandifolius Category:Flora of the United States