| Pombalia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pombalia glabra | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Violaceae |
| Genus: | Pombalia Vand. |
| Synonyms | |
SoleaSpreng. | |
Pombalia Vand. is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Violaceae. [1]
Its native range is the tropical and subtropical parts of Central and South America, Mexico and the American states of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. [1] It has been introduced to Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina (in the USA), KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and Vietnam (in Asia). [1]
The genus name of Pombalia is in honour of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal (1699–1782), a Portuguese statesman and diplomat who effectively ruled the Portuguese Empire from 1750 to 1777 as chief minister to King Joseph I. [2] It was first described and published in Fasciculus Plantarum cum novis generibus et speciebus. Olisipone [3] (Fasc. Pl.) on page 7 in 1771. [1]