Parsonsia | |
---|---|
| |
Parsonsia heterophylla | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Subfamily: | Apocynoideae |
Tribe: | Echiteae |
Genus: | Parsonsia R.Br. |
Species | |
See text | |
![]() | |
Occurrence data for Parsonsia (GBIF) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
|
Parsonsia is a genus of woody vines in the family Apocynaceae. Species occur throughout Indomalaya, Australasia and Melanesia. [1]
The leaves are opposite, the shape and size of juvenile leaves often bearing little resemblance to the adult leaves. [2] The latex may be clear and colourless, pale yellow or milky white. [2] The flowers are green, white, cream, yellow, orange, red, pink or brown, sometimes with contrasting markings. These are followed by elongated pod-like capsules, the two follicles eventually separating to reveal numerous seeds with long, silky hairs. [2]
The genus was named and described in 1810 by botanist Robert Brown in his paper On the Asclepiadeae published in Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society . [3] He named the genus in honour of James Parsons (1705–1770), an English physician and Fellow of the Royal Society. [4]
The generic name Parsonsia R.Br. (1810) is conserved against the earlier homonym Parsonsia P.Browne which was given to a genus in the family Lythraceae. The latter genus is now included in Cuphea . [5]
Parsonsia is closely related to Artia and Prestonia. [6] [7]
Accepted species [1]
A species from New Zealand, Parsonsia variablis (Variable-leaved Parsonsia), was introduced into cultivation in England in 1847 as a greenhouse plant and was noted to have a sweet scent, however the flowers were regarded as "not very showy". [18] This species is thought to be a form of Parsonsia heterophylla. [11]
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)