| Guettarda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Guettarda speciosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cinchonoideae |
| Tribe: | Guettardeae |
| Genus: | Guettarda L. (1753) |
| Type species | |
| Guettarda speciosa L. | |
| Species [1] | |
145; see text | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Guettarda is a plant genus in the family Rubiaceae. Most of these plants are known by the common name velvetseed.
Most of the species are Neotropical. [2] Twenty are found in New Caledonia and one reaches Australia. [3] A few others are found on islands and in coastal areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is a tree of coastal habitats, up to 18 m (59 ft) in height.
Three species (G. odorata, G. scabra, G. speciosa) are known in cultivation. [4] Guettarda argentea provides edible fruit. [2] The type species for the genus is Guettarda speciosa. [5]
Guettarda was named by Linnaeus in 1753 in his book Species Plantarum . [6] [7] This generic name is in honour of the 18th century French naturalist Jean-Étienne Guettard. [8]
The genus Guettarda is much in need of revision. Molecular phylogenetic studies have found it to be several times polyphyletic with some of its clades paraphyletic over small genera. [9]
Plants of the World Online currently accepts 145 species, which are listed below. [1] Other estimates of the number of species range from about 50 [4] to 162. [10]