Ayenia

<i>Ayenia</i>

Ayenia

Genus of flowering plants

Ayenia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It includes 216 species[2] of subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas.[3] They are native to the tropical Americas and southwestern United States, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia.[2]

Quick Facts Ayenia, Scientific classification ...

Description

Ayenia includes subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas. The genus is distinguished by its tiny yet extraordinarily complex flowers.[3]

Ecology

Species of Ayenia grow in diverse habitats, from open areas in dry and seasonally-dry regions to humid forests, river banks, and from lowlands to high elevations.[3]

Byttneria species are host plants to insects such as beetles of the genus Lonchophorellus.[4]

Taxonomy

Ayenia, Byttneria, and Rayleya were formerly described as separate genera, with Ayenia having a Neotropical distribution, Byttneria as a Pantropical genus, and Rayleya as a monotypic genus with a single Brazilian species, Rayleya bahiensis. A phylogenetic analysis found that Byttneria was paraphyletic and Ayenia was nested within it, and Rayleya was a sister clade to the others.[3] In 2018 Christenhusz and Byng transferred the Byttneria and Rayleya names to Ayenia, which had nomenclatural priority.[5]

Selected species

216 species are currently accepted.[2] Selected species include:

  • Ayenia acuminata Rusby
  • Ayenia aliculata Cristóbal
  • Ayenia angustifolia A.St.-Hil. & Naudin
  • Ayenia ardua Cristóbal – Wingstem ayenia
  • Ayenia asplundii (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng – Ecuador and Peru
  • Ayenia bahiensis (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia blanchetiana K.Schum.
  • Ayenia boliviana Rusby
  • Ayenia cajalbanensis Alain
  • Ayenia compacta Rose – California ayenia
  • Ayenia cordobensis (Hieron.) Hieron.
  • Ayenia cuatrecasasii Cristóbal
  • Ayenia dentata Brandegee
  • Ayenia elegans (Ridl.) ined.
  • Ayenia erecta Mart. ex K.Schum.
  • Ayenia euphrasifolia Griseb. – Eyebright ayenia
  • Ayenia fasiculata Millsp. ex Standl.
  • Ayenia filiformis S.Watson – Trans-Pecos ayenia
  • Ayenia flexuosa (Killip) Christenh. & Byng – Ecuador
  • Ayenia fruticosa Rose
  • Ayenia glabra S.Watson – Smooth ayenia
  • Ayenia glabrescens K.Schum.
  • Ayenia hirta A.St.-Hil. & Naudin
  • Ayenia insulicola Cristóbal – Dwarf ayenia
  • Ayenia ivorensis (N.Hallé) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia jaliscana S.Watson
  • Ayenia jaramilloana (Dorr) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia latifolia Cristóbal
  • Ayenia limitaris Cristóbal – Rio Grande ayenia, Texas ayenia
  • Ayenia lingulata Griseb.
  • Ayenia loxensis (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia mansfeldiana (Herter) Cristóbal
  • Ayenia micrantha Standl.
  • Ayenia microphylla A.Gray – Dense ayenia, shrubby ayenia
  • Ayenia minytricha (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia noblickii Cristóbal
  • Ayenia obtusata (Benth.) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia odonellii Cristóbal
  • Ayenia ovata Hemsl.
  • Ayenia palmeri A.Gray
  • Ayenia pilosa Cristóbal – Hairy ayenia
  • Ayenia purpusii Brandegee
  • Ayenia pusilla L.
  • Ayenia schumanniana Kuntze
  • Ayenia simulatrix Cristóbal
  • Ayenia sparrei (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
  • Ayenia tomentosa L.
  • Ayenia truncata Rose
  • Ayenia velutina Urb.
  • Ayenia violacea Urb.
  • Ayenia wrightii B.L.Rob.

References

  1. [1]
    "Taxon: Ayenia L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-06-05. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  2. [2]
    Ayenia L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  3. [3]
    Whitlock, B. A., & Hale, A. M. (2011). The phylogeny of Ayenia, Byttneria, and Rayleya (Malvaceae s.l.) and its implications for the evolution of growth forms. Systematic Botany, 36(1), 129-136.
  4. [4]
    Clark, W. 1989. Lonchophorellus Clark, un nuevo género de Anthomini neotropical (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine The Coleopterists Bulletin v. 43, no. 3 p. 279-289.
  5. [5]
    Dorr, L.J. 2023. New combinations in Ayenia (Malvaceae, Byttnerioideae) for the flora of Ecuador. Phytoneuron 2023-04: 1– 5. Published 17 February 2023. ISSN 2153-733X
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