| Costera | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Vaccinioideae |
| Tribe: | Vaccinieae |
| Genus: | Costera J.J.Sm. |
| Type species | |
| Costera ovalifolia | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Costera is a genus in the Ericaceae found in the Malesian floristic region. It is a small genus of often epiphytic shrubs that grows in tropical rainforests. [1] [2]
Costera is a small genus of shrubs with glabrous, leathery, unlobed leaves arranged in alternate phyllotaxy. The inflorescences are axile and sessile; flowers emerge in bundles directly from the stem. [2]
The flowers are small and tetramerous or pentamerous. They are directly attached to the stem via a pedicel with 2 basal bracts. The calyx is mostly fused and forms 4 or 5 apical teeth, which are the unfused tips of the sepals. The 4 or 5 petals are also fused into a short tube, and the inner surface of the corolla contains minute laciniate projections toward the base. The alternating stamens are lightly appressed to the corolla and have a short linear filament. The anthers are elongated, tubular, and erect. They face inward and release pollen through an apical pore. The ovary is inferior and is divided into 4 or 5 locules with many ovules; the original description notes that the number of locules may vary by species. The style is straight, with a stigma that is minutely thickened. The nectary disc is ring-shaped and inconspicuous. The fruit is subspherical and is crowned by the calyx. [2] [3]
Members of Costera may be confused with Vaccinium , from which they can be distinguished by their glabrous leaves and lack of a line of articulation in the pedicel that is found in Bornean Vaccinium species. [4] Their bundled, sessile inflorescences resemble those of Diplycosia . [2]
Costera was described in the fourth volume of the Icones Bogoriensis in 1914 by Johannes Jacobus Smith. [2] It is placed in the Vaccinieae, where it may be one of the most genetically divergent members. [5] Smith named the genus after his mentor, Jan Constantijn Costerus. Smith records tjapien djanten as an indigenous name for the plant originating from the Karimata Islands.
As of February 2023, it consists of 10 accepted species: [1]
The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c. 4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it the 14th most species-rich family of flowering plants. The many well known and economically important members of the Ericaceae include the cranberry, blueberry, huckleberry, rhododendron, and various common heaths and heathers.
Vaccinium is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whortleberry), lingonberry (cowberry), and huckleberry. Like many other ericaceous plants, they are generally restricted to acidic soils.
Antidesma is a genus of tropical plant in the family Phyllanthaceae formally described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is native to tropical Africa, S + E + SE Asia, Australia, and various oceanic islands. The greatest diversity occurs in Southeast Asia.
Gaultheria is a genus of about 283 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum. These plants are native to Asia, Australasia and North and South America. In the past, the Southern Hemisphere species were often treated as the separate genus Pernettya, but no consistent reliable morphological or genetic differences support recognition of two genera, and they are now united in the single genus Gaultheria.
Pachypodium brevicaule is a species of plant that belongs to the family Apocynaceae.
Macaranga is a large genus of Old World tropical trees of the family Euphorbiaceae and the only genus in the subtribe Macaranginae. Native to Africa, Australasia, Asia and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the genus comprises over 300 different species. It was first described as a genus in 1806, based on specimens collected on the Island of Mauritius.
Blumeodendron is a genus of dioecious trees of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1873. It is widespread across much of Southeast Asia and Papuasia.
Downingia bella, also known as Hoover's calicoflower or Hoover's Downingia, is a member of the Bellflower Family (Campanulaceae). The genus is named after A.J. Downing (1815–1852) a noted American horticulturist and landscape architect.
Macleania is a genus of plants in the family Ericaceae.
Plectocomiopsis is a dioecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in Indochina, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. Hapaxanthic and armed with spines, they are a climbing rattan, closely related to the Myrialepis palms. The name is Greek for "similar to Plectocomia", another close relative.
Archeria traversii is a species of shrub in the family Ericaceae.
Rhododendron section Vireya (vireyas) is a tropical group of Rhododendron species, numbering about 300 in all. The group may also be treated as Rhododendron subgenus Vireya. Vireyas are native to southeastern Asia and range from Thailand to Australia.
Parkia javanica Lam., syn. Parkia roxburghii G. Don. is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Mimosaceae. Description-
Angelica acutiloba is a perennial herb from the family Apiaceae or Umbelliferous. It is predominately in Japan and perhaps endemic (unique). It is now distributed widely and cultivated in Jilin, China, Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Chisocheton is a genus of trees in the family Meliaceae. The genus name comes from the Greek schizos and chiton meaning "split tunic", referring to the lobed staminal tube of C. patens. Their range is from India and tropical China, throughout Malesia and south to New South Wales and Vanuatu.
Cecarria is a monotypic genus in the family Loranthaceae. The sole species is Cecarria obtusifolia, a hemiparasitic aerial shrub.
Hawaiian Vaccinium (blueberries) is a monophyletic group comprising three species endemic to the archipelago of Hawaii: Vaccinium reticulatum, Vaccinium dentatum and Vaccinium calycinum, all commonly known in Hawaii as ʻōhelo.
Vaccinium consanguineum or Costa Rican blueberry is a species of Vaccinium found in the montane forests of southern Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama at altitudes of 2100-3100 meters AMSL. In Costa Rica it is found in the Talamanca mountain range and the Central Volcanic mountain range.
Pseuduvaria calliura is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is endemic to Borneo. Herbert Kenneth Airy Shaw, the English botanist who first formally described the species, named it after the beautiful tails or tips of its leaves.
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