Eriolaena | |
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Eriolaena quinquelocularis | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malvales |
Family: | Malvaceae |
Subfamily: | Dombeyoideae |
Genus: | Eriolaena DC. (1823)[1] |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Eriolaena is a genus of flowering plants. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included now in the recently expanded Malvaceae.[2] The genus is distributed in Asia and eastern Africa, from southern China through Indochina to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and coastal Mozambique.[1][3][4]
These plants are trees or shrubs. They usually have single or paired white or yellow flowers, but some species have larger inflorescences. The fruit is a hard capsule with winged seeds.[3] The winged seeds make the genus distinctive in its family.[5]
The former Madagascan genera Helmiopsiella and Helmiopsis are now considered synonyms of Eriolaena.[1] These genera were named in honour of C. Helm, German clergyman in Berlin and amateur botanist.[6]