Pittosporaceae
Encyclopedia
Pittosporaceae is a family
of flowering plant
s. The family includes approximately 200 species of tree
s, shrub
s, and liana
s in 9-10 genera
. The species of Pittosporaceae range from tropical to temperate climates of the Afrotropic, Indomalaya, Oceania
, and Australasia
ecozone
s.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s. The family includes approximately 200 species of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, and liana
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s in 9-10 genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. The species of Pittosporaceae range from tropical to temperate climates of the Afrotropic, Indomalaya, Oceania
Oceania ecozone
Oceania is one of the WWF ecozones, and unique in not including any continental land mass. The ecozone includes the Pacific Ocean islands of Micronesia, the Fijian Islands, and most of Polynesia...
, and Australasia
Australasia ecozone
The Australasian zone is an ecological region that is coincident, but not synonymous , with the geographic region of Australasia...
ecozone
Ecozone
An ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of the Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms.Ecozones delineate large areas of the Earth's surface within which organisms have been evolving in relative isolation over long periods of time, separated from...
s.
Genera
- AuranticarpaAuranticarpaAuranticarpa is a genus of trees in the family Pittosporaceae.All six species occur in monsoonal forest and rainforest margins in Northern Australia...
L.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford - Bentleya
- BillardieraBillardieraBillardiera is a genus of small vines and shrubs which is endemic to Australia. The genus was first formally described in 1793 by botanist James Edward Smith who named it in honour of Jacques Labillardière, a French botanist.Species include:...
Sm.James Edward SmithSir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world... - BursariaBursariaBursaria is a genus of large shrubs and small trees which are native to Australia. The genus was first described by Antonio Cavanilles in 1797, with his description of the type species B. spinosa...
Cav.Antonio José CavanillesAntonio José Cavanilles was a leading Spanish taxonomic botanist of the 18th century. He named many plants, particularly from Oceania, his name is abbreviated as Cav... - CheirantheraCheirantheraCheiranthera is a genus of flowering plants within the family Pittosporaceae.The species, which are endemic to Australia, include:*Cheiranthera alternifolia E.M.Benn.*Cheiranthera cyanea Brongn.*Cheiranthera filifolia Turcz....
A.Cunn.Allan Cunningham (botanist)Allan Cunningham was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants.- Early life :...
ex Brongn. - HymenosporumHymenosporumHymenosporum flavum, or Native Frangipani, is a rainforest tree which is native to Queensland and New South Wales in Australia and New Guinea. It is the sole species within the genus Hymenosporum, and is closely related to the widespread genus Pittosporum.It produces clusters of fragrant flowers in...
R.Br.Robert Brown (botanist)Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
ex F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
(H. flavum being the sole species) - Marianthus
- PittosporumPittosporumPittosporum is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Pittosporaceae. The genus is probably Gondwanan in origin; its present range extends from Australasia, Oceania, eastern Asia and some parts of Africa. Citriobatus is usually included here, but might be a distinct genus...
A.Cunn. ex Putt. (including Citriobatus) - Pronaya
- RhytidosporumRhytidosporumRhytidosporum is a genus of flowering plants within the family Pittosporaceae.The species, which are endemic to Australia, include:*Rhytidosporum alpinum McGill.*Rhytidosporum diosmoides L.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford...
- Sollya