Uvaria

Uvaria
U. chamae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Annonaceae
Tribe:	Uvarieae
Genus:	Uvaria L. [1]
Type species
Uvaria zeylanica L. [2] [3]
Species [4]
171 – see List of Uvaria species
Synonyms [4]
AnomianthusZoll. BalongaLe Thomas CyathostemmaGriff. DasoclemaJ.Sinclair EllipeiaHook.f. & Thomson EllipeiopsisR.E.Fr. MarenteriaThouars MelodorumLour. NarumAdans. PyragmaNoronha RauwenhoffiaScheff. TetrapetalumMiq. UvariellaRidl. XylopiastrumRoberty

Uvaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. The generic name Uvaria is derived from the Latin uva, 'grape', because the fruit of some species in the genus resemble grapes. ^[3] Species are distributed throughout the Old World tropics.

Description

Species in this genus are lianas or climbing shrubs. They are woody and without hooks or spines, but almost all parts have stellate (star-shaped) hairs. Other shared features include bisexual flowers (i.e. having functional male and female parts in each flower), sepals connected edge to edge (valvate), petals overlapping (imbricate) and arranged in two whorls, pollen grains solitary, and apocarpous fruit. ^{[5] [3]}

Taxonomy

The genus Uvaria was erected by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 to accommodate two new species – U. zeylanica (the type species) and U. japonica (now Kadsura japonica ). By 2009, the genus contained about 150–190 species and was considered to be paraphyletic. ^{[5] : 255  [6]} In that year, Zhou et al published a study that used molecular analysis, and as a result they transferred a total of 15 species from the closely related genera Anomianthus, Cyathostemma, Ellipeia, Ellipeiopsis and Rauwenhoffia. ^[5] As of April 2025 ^[update] , 171 species are accepted by Plants of the World Online. ^[4]

Distribution

Species are present in tropical and southern Africa, including Madagascar; also the Indian subcontinent, mainland Southeast Asia, southern China, Malesia, New Guinea, and the states of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. ^{[4] [7]}

Selected species

Uvaria grandiflora in Singapore

Uvaria ovata , native to West Africa.

Main article: List of Uvaria species

There are 171 accepted Uvaria species as of April 2025 ^[update] , according to Plants of the World Online. ^[4]

• Uvaria chamae P.Beauv.–Finger-root, China
• Uvaria dulcis Dunal - Tropical Asia (E. Indonesia, Jawa, Mainland Southeast Asia)
• Uvaria grandiflora Roxb. ex Hornem. - Indochina and Malesia
• Uvaria leichhardtii (F.Muell.) L.L.Zhou, Y.C.F.Su & R.M.K.Saunders – New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia
• Uvaria macclurei Diels – southern China
• Uvaria narum (Dunal) Wall. - Indian subcontinent
• Uvaria rufa (Dunal) Blume ; Susung-kalabaw, Australia to Philippines & Indochina
• Uvaria siamensis (Scheff.) L.L.Zhou, Y.C.F.Su & R.M.K.Saunders – Indochina and Peninsular Malaysia

Formerly placed here

• Kadsura japonica (L.) Dunal (as U. japonicaL.)
• Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson (as U. odorataLam.)
• Oxandra lanceolata (Sw.) Baill. (as U. lanceolataSw.)
• Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Bedd. (as U. cerasoidesRoxb.)
• Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) Thwaites (as U. longifoliaSonn.)
• Xylopia aromatica (Lam.) Mart. (as U. aromaticaLam.) ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (1996-09-17). "Genus: Uvaria L." Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
2. "Uvaria L., Sp. Pl. [Linnaeus] 1: 536 (1753)". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
3. Jessup, L.W.; Kodela, P.G. (2022). Kodela, P.G. (ed.). "Uvaria". Flora of Australia . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
4. "Uvaria L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
5. Zhou, L.; Su, Y.C.F.; Saunders, R.M.K. (2009). "Molecular phylogenetic support for a broader delimitation of Uvaria (Annonaceae), inclusive of Anomianthus, Cyathostemma, Ellipeia, Ellipeiopsis and Rauwenhoffia". Systematics and Biodiversity. 7 (3): 249–258. doi:10.1017/S1477200009003028.
6. "Uvaria L." Flora of China (eFloras). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
7. "Uvaria L." Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
8. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). "GRIN Species Records of Uvaria". Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
9. "Uvaria L." Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved June 1, 2020.