Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao, and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ornamentals, such as Alcea (hollyhock), Malva (mallow), and Tilia. The genera with the largest numbers of species include Hibiscus, Pavonia, Sida, Ayenia, Dombeya, and Sterculia.
Adansonia is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs. They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia. The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia. The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described Adansonia digitata. The baobab is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths. They are among the most long-lived of vascular plants and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours. The flowers open around dusk, opening so quickly that movement can be detected by the naked eye, and are faded by the next morning. The fruits are large, oval to round and berry-like and hold kidney-shaped seeds in a dry, pulpy matrix.
Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie was a French botanist who specialized in the plants of Madagascar.
Maxwell Tylden Masters FRS was an English botanist and taxonomist. He was the son of William Masters, the nurseryman and botanist of Canterbury and author of Hortus duroverni.
Arytera is a genus of about twenty–eight species known to science, of trees and shrubs and constituting part of the plant family Sapindaceae. They grow naturally in New Guinea, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga; and the most widespread species and type species A. littoralis grows throughout Malesia and across Southeast Asia, from NE. India, southern China, Borneo, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines to as far east as New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Gmelina is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae. It consists of about 35 species in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Southeast Asia, India and a few in Africa. Some species such as G. arborea have been planted and/or become naturalised in India, Africa and Australia. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in honour of botanist Johann Georg Gmelin.
Solmsia is a genus containing one or two species of flowering plants belonging to the family Thymelaeaceae. It is endemic to New Caledonia. The genus was named to honor Hermann zu Solms-Laubach by Henri Ernest Baillon. It is related to Arnhemia, Deltaria, Gonystylus and Lethedon.
Oncotheca is a genus of tree endemic to New Caledonia. There are two species, Oncotheca balansae and Oncotheca humboldtiana.
Lyndley Alan Craven was a botanist who became the Principal Research Scientist of the Australian National Herbarium.
Mangenotiella is a monotypic genus of shrub in the family Primulaceae. Its only species is Mangenotiella stellata, endemic to New Caledonia.
Cyathopsis is a genus of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia in the Pacific and contains three species that have previously been included in Styphelia. It is related to genera such as Leucopogon, Lissanthe and Styphelia.
Carolyn F. Wilkins is an Australian botanist, who currently works for the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
Gilesia biniflora is species of flowering plant belonging to the family Malvaceae. It is commonly known as the 'western tar-vine'. It is the sole species in genus Gilesia. It is in the Byttnerioideae subfamily.
Dutaillyea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rutaceae.
Landiopsis is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rubiaceae. It only contains one known species, Landiopsis capuronii.
Ruizia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Malvaceae. It contains 13 species native mostly to the Mascarene Islands, and one species native to Madagascar.
Dutailliopsis gordonii is a species of flowering plants in the monotypic genus of Dutailliopsis and belongs to the family Rutaceae.
Perryodendron is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rutaceae. The only known species is Perryodendron parviflorum.
