HeterophyllumBojer ex Hook. (1830), not validly publ.
LorentziaHieron. (1881), nom. illeg.
NephropetalumB.L.Rob. & Greenm. (1896)
PentacerosG.Mey. (1818)
RayleyaCristóbal (1981)
TelfairiaF.Newman ex Hook. (1830), not validly publ.
WatsoniaBoehm. (1760), nom. superfl.
Ayenia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It includes 216 species[2] of subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas.[3] They are native to the tropical Americas and southwestern United States, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia.[2]
Ayenia includes subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas. The genus is distinguished by its tiny yet extraordinarily complex flowers.[3]
Ecology
Species of Ayenia grow in diverse habitats, from open areas in dry and seasonally-dry regions to humid forests, river banks, and from lowlands to high elevations.[3]
Byttneria species are host plants to insects such as beetles of the genus Lonchophorellus.[4]
Taxonomy
Ayenia, Byttneria, and Rayleya were formerly described as separate genera, with Ayenia having a Neotropical distribution, Byttneria as a Pantropical genus, and Rayleya as a monotypic genus with a single Brazilian species, Rayleya bahiensis. A phylogenetic analysis found that Byttneria was paraphyletic and Ayenia was nested within it, and Rayleya was a sister clade to the others.[3] In 2018 Christenhusz and Byng transferred the Byttneria and Rayleya names to Ayenia, which had nomenclatural priority.[5]
Species
217 species are currently accepted.[2] Selected species include:
↑ Dorr, L.J. 2023. New combinations in Ayenia (Malvaceae, Byttnerioideae) for the flora of Ecuador. Phytoneuron 2023-04: 1– 5. Published 17 February 2023. ISSN 2153-733X
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