Ascarina

Ascarina
Ascarina lucida
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Order:	Chloranthales
Family:	Chloranthaceae
Genus:	Ascarina J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (1776)[1]
Species[1]
Ascarina coursii (Humbert & Capuron) J.-F.Leroy & Jérémie Ascarina diffusa A.C.Sm. Ascarina lucida Hook.f. Ascarina maheshwarii Swamy Ascarina marquesensis A.C.Sm. Ascarina philippinensis C.B.Rob. Ascarina polystachya J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. Ascarina rubricaulis Solms Ascarina solmsiana Schltr. Ascarina subfalcata J.W.Moore Ascarina subsessilis Verdc. Ascarina swamyana A.C.Sm.
Synonyms[1]
Ascarinopsis Humbert & Capuron (1955)

Ascarina is an ancient, woody, angiosperm genus. It is a distinct genus of Chloranthaceae consisting of less than twenty species, found in the Australian region, the Pacific Islands and Madagascar. They can grow up to six metres tall and have a spread of approximately three metres. Ascarina are usually tropical cloud forest species which need high humidity to thrive, and are vulnerable to both frost and drought. There has been discussion and research on whether or not this genus and its family are primitive, or have become reduced over time. Another controversial topic for the genus is its relation to the Clavatipollenites, a fossilized pollen.