| Gnidia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gnidia tomentosa | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Thymelaeaceae |
| Subfamily: | Thymelaeoideae |
| Genus: | Gnidia L. (1753) |
| Species[1] | |
|
104, see text | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Gnidia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is distributed in tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar;[1] more than half of all the species are endemic to South Africa.[2] Gnidia was named for Knidos, an Ancient Greek city located in modern-day Turkey.[3]
These are perennial herbs and shrubs, sometimes with rhizomes. Most species have alternately arranged leaves, and a few have opposite leaves. The leaves are undivided and unlobed. The inflorescence is a head of a few to many flowers. The calyx is cylindrical and the colored lobes may alternate with the petals; some species lack petals.[3] Many species are similar in appearance and difficult to tell apart.[4]
Molecular analyses have provided evidence that the genus is polyphyletic, made up of four different lineages. They are related to the four genera Struthiola, Drapetes, Lasiosiphon, and Pimelea.[5]
Formerly 140 to 160 species were classified in the genus.[2][3][6] Many have been reassigned to other genera and Plants of the World Online currently accepts 104 species.[1]
- ^ a b c d "Gnidia L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ a b Rogers, Z. S. (2006). A new species of Malagasy Gnidia and the lectotypification of Octolepis decalepis (Thymelaeaceae). Adansonia, sér. 3(28), 155-60.
- ^ a b c Hyde, M. A., et al. Gnidia. Flora of Zimbabwe. 2013.
- ^ Beaumont, A. J., et al. (2001). Patterns of diversity among involucral bracts, inflorescences and flowers in Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae). Systematics and Geography of Plants 71(2), 419-31.
- ^ Beaumont, A. J., et al. (2009). Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae) is not monophyletic: taxonomic implications for Thymelaeoideae and a partial new generic taxonomy for Gnidia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 160(4), 402-17. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00988.x
- ^ Bhandurge, P., et al. (2013). The Gnidia genus: A review. Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences 3(19), 1-31.