| Gnidia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gnidia tomentosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Thymelaeaceae |
| Subfamily: | Thymelaeoideae |
| Genus: | Gnidia L. (1753) |
| Species [1] | |
104, see text | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Gnidia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is distributed in tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar; [1] more than half of all the species are endemic to South Africa. [2] Gnidia was named for Knidos, an Ancient Greek city located in modern-day Turkey. [3]
Contents
These are perennial herbs and shrubs, sometimes with rhizomes. Most species have alternately arranged leaves, and a few have opposite leaves. The leaves are undivided and unlobed. The inflorescence is a head of a few to many flowers. The calyx is cylindrical and the colored lobes may alternate with the petals; some species lack petals. [3] Many species are similar in appearance and difficult to tell apart. [4]
Molecular analyses have provided evidence that the genus is polyphyletic, made up of four different lineages. They are related to the four genera Struthiola , Drapetes , Lasiosiphon , and Pimelea . [5]
Formerly 140 to 160 species were classified in the genus. [2] [3] [6] Many have been reassigned to other genera and Plants of the World Online currently accepts 104 species. [1]
