Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Malvales > Thymelaeaceae > Dirca

Dirca (leatherwood)

Synonyms: Dofia

Wikipedia Abstract

Dirca (Leatherwood) is a genus of three or four species of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to North America. The genus is named after Dirce in Greek mythology. The general common name for this deciduous shrub is leatherwood; other names include moosewood, ropebark and Powhatan-derived wicopy. The stems of Dirca are exceptionally pliable and the bark is difficult to tear by hand; for this reason, its stems were used by Native Americans in eastern North America as thongs or ropes. Members of the genus can grow to a maximum height of about three meters, and are often associated with rich, moist woods or slopes above creeks or streams.
View Wikipedia Record: Dirca

Species

Dirca decipiens
Dirca mexicana (Endangered)
Dirca occidentalis (western leatherwood) (Attributes)
Dirca palustris (eastern leatherwood) (Attributes)

External References

Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0