Pottingeria
Encyclopedia
Pottingeria is a small tree or large shrub native to mountainous areas of southeast Asia (Assam
, Myanmar
, and Thailand
).
It had long been thought, at least by some, to belong in the order Celastrales
. In a phylogenetic study of that order in 2006, Pottingeria was found to be a member of the order, but not of any of its families. It was in an unresolved pentatomy
consisting of Parnassiaceae
, Pottingeria, Mortonia
, the pair (Quetzalia + Zinowiewia
), and the other genera of Celastraceae
. When the APG III system
was published in October 2009, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
expanded Celastraceae to include all members of the pentatomy mentioned above. Armen Takhtajan
had placed Pottingeria in a monotypic family in 1987, but he later treated it as a subfamily of Celastraceae.
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
).
It had long been thought, at least by some, to belong in the order Celastrales
Celastrales
Celastrales is an order of flowering plants. They are found throughout the tropics and subtropics, with only a few species extending far into the temperate regions. There are about 1200 to 1350 species in about 100 genera. All but 7 of these genera are in the large family Celastraceae...
. In a phylogenetic study of that order in 2006, Pottingeria was found to be a member of the order, but not of any of its families. It was in an unresolved pentatomy
Polytomy
A polytomy , meaning many temporal based branches, is a section of a phylogeny in which the evolutionary relationships can not be fully resolved to dichotomies. In a phylogenetic tree, a polytomy is represented as a node which has more than two immediate descending branches...
consisting of Parnassiaceae
Parnassiaceae
Parnassiaceae Gray is a family of Flowering plants in the eudicot order Celastrales. It is not recognized in the APG III system of plant classification. When that system was published in 2009, Parnassiaceae was treated as a segregate of an expanded Celastraceae. Parnassiaceae has only two...
, Pottingeria, Mortonia
Mortonia
Mortonia is a small genus of flowering shrubs known as saddlebushes or mortonias. These are rough, hairy shrubs with leathery leaves and panicles of fleshy white to purplish flowers. They bear nutlets containing 1 seed each...
, the pair (Quetzalia + Zinowiewia
Zinowiewia
Zinowiewia is a genus of plants in the family Celastraceae.Species include:* Z. costaricensis Lundell* Z. madsenii C. Ulloa & P. Jørg.* Z. micrantha Lundell...
), and the other genera of Celastraceae
Celastraceae
The Celastraceae , is a family of about 90-100 genera and 1,300 species of vines, shrubs and small trees, belonging to the order Celastrales...
. When the APG III system
APG III system
The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy...
was published in October 2009, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
expanded Celastraceae to include all members of the pentatomy mentioned above. Armen Takhtajan
Armen Takhtajan
Armen Leonovich Takhtajan or Takhtajian , was a Soviet-Armenian botanist, one of the most important figures in 20th century plant evolution and systematics and biogeography. His other interests included morphology of flowering plants, paleobotany, and the flora of the Caucasus...
had placed Pottingeria in a monotypic family in 1987, but he later treated it as a subfamily of Celastraceae.