Clethra, genus of 65 species of flowering trees and shrubs, of the family Clethraceae, occurring in North and South America, in Asia, and on the Mediterranean island of Madeira. Often called white alders, they are commonly cultivated for their handsome spikes of white fragrant flowers. The leaves are alternate, usually toothed, and either deciduous or persistent. Three species (C. alnifolia, C. acuminata, and C. tomentosa) occur in North America. C. alnifolia, commonly known as sweet-pepper bush, or summer sweet, occurs on the eastern Coastal Plain and grows about 1 to 3 metres (3 to 10 feet) tall. Its foliage turns yellow or orange in the fall. C. acuminata, commonly called cinnamon clethra, occurs in mountainous and hilly regions of southeastern North America and grows about 4.5 metres (15 feet) tall. It is valued for its attractive cinnamon-brown bark as well as for its flowers. C. tomentosa is found in the same region as C. alnifolia.