Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. Representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, scrublands, wet fields and valleys, sea coast and marine areas, swamps, and mangrove forests.
The Verbenaceae — the verbena family or vervain family — are a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs, and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell.
Portulaca (, is the type genus of the flowering plant family Portulacaceae, with over 100 species, found in the tropics and warm temperate regions. They are known as the purslanes.
The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, Combretum imberbe. Three genera, Conocarpus, Laguncularia, and Lumnitzera, grow in mangrove habitats (mangals). The Combretaceae are widespread in the subtropics and tropics. Some members of this family produce useful construction timber, such as idigbo from Terminalia ivorensis. The commonly cultivated Quisqualis indica is now placed in the genus Combretum.
Hakea is a genus of about 150 species of plants in the Family Proteaceae, endemic to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are sometimes flat, otherwise circular in cross section in which case they are sometimes divided. The flowers are usually arranged in groups in leaf axils and resemble those of other genera, especially Grevillea. Hakeas have woody fruit which distinguishes them from grevilleas which have non-woody fruit which release the seeds as they mature. Hakeas are found in every state of Australia with the highest species diversity being found in the south west of Western Australia.
Hemigraphis is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae, consisting of nearly 40 species native to tropical Asia. Hemigraphis is similar to plants the genus Strobilanthes, with some species now placed there. Its native range is Nansei-shoto and from Indo-China to New Guinea.
Dicliptera is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. Well-known synonyms include Peristrophe and Dactylostegium.
Hypoestes is a flowering plant genus of about 150 species. They are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical lands around the Indian Ocean, and some adjacent regions.
Buckinghamia is a genus of only two known species of trees, belonging to the plant family Proteaceae. They are endemic to the rainforests of the wet tropics region of north eastern Queensland, Australia. The ivory curl flower, B. celsissima, is the well known, popular and widely cultivated species in gardens and parks, in eastern and southern mainland Australia, and additionally as street trees north from about Brisbane. The second species, B. ferruginiflora, was only recently described in 1988.
Rostellularia adscendens is an Australian plant species in the family Acanthaceae. It grows to between 10 and 50 cm high.
Hollandaea is a small genus of plants in the family Proteaceae containing four species of Australian rainforest trees. All four species are endemic to restricted areas of the Wet Tropics of northeast Queensland.
Borneacanthus is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Clinacanthus is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Cosmianthemum is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Haplanthus is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Dicladanthera is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Herpetacanthus is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Rungia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Rostellularia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Pulchranthus is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
