Lasianthus
Lasianthus fordii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Rubiaceae
Subfamily:	Rubioideae
Tribe:	Lasiantheae
Genus:	Lasianthus Jack 1823
Type species
Lasianthus cyanocarpus Jack
Species
About 260 species. See text.
Synonyms[1]
Dasus Lour. (1790), nom. rej. Dressleriopsis Dwyer (1980) Litosanthes Blume (1823) Mephitidia Reinw. ex Blume (1823) Octavia DC. (1830) Santia Wight & Arn. (1834), nom. illeg.

Lasianthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are tropical subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely, small trees. They inhabit the understory of primary forests.

Lasianthus has about 180 species. The type species for the genus is Lasianthus cyanocarpus. ^[2] In 2012, a revision of Lasianthus in Malesia described 131 species.^[3] Another 30 or so species grow elsewhere in tropical Asia.^[4] Most of these are described in Flora of China^[5] or in A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon.^[6] 14 or 15 species are native to the Western Ghats of southwestern India, including the endemic Lasianthus agasthyamalayanus.^[7] Fifteen species^[8] or perhaps as many as 20 species^[9] are known from tropical Africa. Two species (Lasianthus panamensis and Lasianthus lanceolatus),^[10] or possibly three, are native to the neotropics.^[8] Lasianthus strigosus, from Queensland, is the only species known from Australia. The Australian Ixora baileyana had at one time been placed in Lasianthus as Lasianthus graciliflorus.^[11]

Dried specimens of Lasianthus often shed their flowers and fruit. For this reason, misidentification is common, even in herbaria.

The name Lasianthus has been misapplied to Lisianthius (also spelled as "Lisianthus" or "Lisyanthus"^[12]), a genus in Gentianaceae. Lasianthus alatus Aublet is a misspelling of Lisyanthus alatus Aublet, a species now placed in Chelonanthus.

Species

As of March 2023, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:^[1]

Description

Subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely, small trees. - Leaves opposite, distichous. Stipules interpetiolar, usually persistent. - Inflorescences axillary, usually sessile. Flowers small, white. - Calyx with 3 to 6 teeth or lobes; persistent. Corolla with 4 to 6 lobes; throat usually villous. - Stamens 4 to 6, inserted on corolla throat. Anthers dorsifixed. - Stigma with lanceolate or linear lobes. Ovary multilocular. - Ovules basal, erect, 1 per locule. - Fruit a small drupe, usually blue. Pyrenes with thick walls.

History

The generic name Lasianthus is derived from the Greek lasios, "shaggy, velvety, hairy", and anthos, "flower".^[13] The genus was named by William Jack in 1823.^[14][15]

Some authors have recognized Dressleriopsis and Litosanthes as genera separate from Lasianthus. Dressleriopsis was sunk into Lasianthus in 1982.^[10]

Litosanthes was erected by Carl Ludwig Blume in 1823. It was synonymized under Lasianthus in 1992.^[16] DNA sequence analysis has not resolved the question of whether Litosanthes is nested within Lasianthus or separate from it.

Affinities

Lasianthus, Saldinia, and Trichostachys form the tribe Lasiantheae in the subfamily Rubioideae. Perama is related to this group and might be included within it.^[17] Lasiantheae was formerly thought to be close to Psychotria, but is now known to be a basal clade in Rubioideae. It is sister to the large clade containing Coussarea, Psychotria, Spermacoce, and many other genera.^[18]

Saprosma and Amaracarpus were traditionally thought to be close to Lasianthus. Saprosma is polyphyletic, with only part of it related to Lasianthus.^[17] Amaracarpus is close to Psychotria. The African genera Batopedina and Dirichletia have also been suggested as relatives of Lasianthus.

Taxonomy

Only one molecular phylogenetic study has sampled more than a few species from the tribe Lasiantheae. In that study, 11 species of Lasianthus were sampled, but few relationships were resolved.^[17]

In 2012, a revision of the Malesian species divided Lasianthus into 3 sections, based on the following type species: L. section Stipulares (Lasianthus stipularis), L. section Lasianthus (Lasianthus cyanocarpus), and L. section Nudiflorae (Lasianthus blumeanus).^[3] They did not recognize L. section Pedunculatae (Lasianthus biermanii), which some previous authors had recognized. They considered it to be indistinguishable from L. section Lasianthus.

References

External links

• Lasianthus At: Search Page At: World Checklist of Rubiaceae At: Index by Team At: Projects At: Science Directory At: Scientific Research and Data At: Kew Gardens
• Lasianthus At: Names At: Tropicos At: Science and Conservation At: Missouri Botanical Garden
• Lasianthus At: List of Genera At: Rubiaceae At: List of families At: Families and Genera in GRIN At: Queries At: GRIN taxonomy for plants
• Lasianthus At: Lasiantheae At: Rubioideae At: Rubiaceae In: ··· Embryophyta At: Streptophytina At: Streptophyta At: Viridiplantae At: Eukaryota At: Taxonomy At: UniProt
• Lasianthus At: Index Nominum Genericorum At: References At: NMNH Department of Botany At: Research and Collections At: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
• Revision of Malesian Lasianthus
• List of lower taxa And Lasianthus.pdf At: Lasianthus At: List of lower taxa (genera) At: Chinese Plant Names At: Rubiaceae At: FOC vol. 19 At: page 2 Of: Family List At: Flora of China At: eFloras
• Flora of Sri Lanka
• Flora of Tropical East Africa At: page 3 Of: Projects At: Science Directory At: Scientific Research and Data At: Science and Conservation At: Home At: About Kew At: Kew Gardens
• The Convoluted History of Lisianthus, etc. At: Eustoma At: Chironieae At: Classification overview At: Gentian Research Network
• CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: D-L At: Botany & Plant Science At: Life Science At: CRC Press
• Lasianthus At: Plant Names At: IPNI
• Lasianthus, page 125 In: Volume 14 At: Bibliography At: Transactions of the Linnean Society of London At: Titles beginning with "T" At: Titles At: Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Xiao & Zhu 2007 on Lasianthus In: Volume 48(2) At: Issue Indices At: Botanical Studies an international journal