Family · Asterids

Clethraceae

Sweet pepperbush

Trees and shrubs with fragrant white flower racemes, mainly Asia and the Americas.

Accepted species

100accepted names · Kew WCVP

Genera

2accepted genera · Kew WCVP

Origin

≈8 MaNeogene · crown age, Jin & Qian 2022 megatree

Centre of diversity

Southern Americamost native species · WGSRPD

Open Clethraceae in the treePan, zoom and dig into its genera in the interactive view.›

Plants you might know

• Clethra (summersweet)
• Purdiaea

Genera

• Clethra87 spp.
• Purdiaea13 spp.

Where it grows

• Southern America58
• Northern America28
• Asia-Tropical17
• Asia-Temperate8
• Africa1

Native species richness by botanical continent (WGSRPD level 1), from Kew WCVP.

Related families

Clethraceae sits in the order Ericales.

• EricaceaeHeaths — blueberry, rhododendron, heather4,761
• PrimulaceaePrimroses, cyclamen3,432
• SapotaceaeShea, sapodilla, argan1,379
• BalsaminaceaeImpatiens, touch-me-not1,192
• EbenaceaeEbony, persimmon820
• Pentaphylacaceae549
• ActinidiaceaeKiwifruit473
• PolemoniaceaePhlox, Jacob's ladder436
• SymplocaceaeSweetleaf412
• LecythidaceaeBrazil nut, cannonball tree401
• TheaceaeTea, camellia388
• StyracaceaeStorax, snowbell163
• MarcgraviaceaeShingle-plant family137
• SarraceniaceaeNew World pitcher plants54
• Diapensiaceae19
• FouquieriaceaeOcotillo, boojum tree11
• CyrillaceaeTiti, leatherwood11
• Tetrameristaceae4
• Sladeniaceae3
• Roridulaceae2
• Mitrastemonaceae2