Alangium Brachyanthum

''Alangium'' is a small genus of flowering plants. The genus is included either in a broad view of the dogwood family Cornaceae, or as the sole member of its own family Alangiaceae.Qiu-Yun (Jenny) Xiang, David T. Thomas, and Qiao Ping Xiang. 2011. "Resolving and dating the phylogeny of Cornales - Effects of taxon sampling, data partitions, and fossil calibrations". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 59(1):123-138. ''Alangium'' has about 40 species, but some of the species boundaries are not entirely clear.Chun-Miao Feng, Steven R. Manchester, and Qiu-Yun (Jenny) Xiang. 2009. "Phylogeny and biogeography of Alangiaceae (Cornales) inferred from DNA sequences, morphology, and fossils". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 51(2):201-214. The type species for ''Alangium'' is ''Alangium decapetalum'', which is now treated as a subspecies of ''Alangium salviifolium''.''Alangium'' In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In: Regnum Vegetabile (see ''External links'' below). All of the species are shrubs or small trees, except the liana ''Alangium kwangsiense''. ''A. chinense, A. platanifolium'', and ''A. salviifolium'' are known in cultivation. Anthony Huxley, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). ''The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening''. The Macmillan Press,Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. (set).

Range

The genus consists of small trees, shrubs and lianas, and is native to western Africa, Madagascar, southern and eastern Asia (China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines), tropical Australia, the western Pacific Ocean islands, and New Caledonia.
Most of the species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of east and southeast Asia. Five of the species extend well outside of this area. ''Alangium platanifolium'' extends from east Asia into Russia. ''Alangium chinense'' ( sensu lato) extends from southeast Asia to Africa. ''Alangium salviifolium'' is the most widespread species, ranging from Africa to Australia, Fiji, and New Caledonia. ''Alangium villosum'' occurs from southeast Asia to Australia and the western Pacific Islands. ''Alangium grisolleoides'' is endemic to Madagascar and gives the genus a disjunct distribution.

''Alangium'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species in the Geometroidea-Drepanoidea assemblage including engrailed ( Geometridae) and the subfamily Cyclidiinae ( Drepanidae).

Etymology

The name ''Alangium'' is a Latinization, derived from the Malayalam name ''alangi'', which, in Kerala, refers to ''Alangium salviifolium''.Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'' volume I. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington,DC;, USA. London, UK. (vol. I).
It was named in 1783 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in his '' Encyclopédie Méthodique''.''Alangium'' At: International Plant Names Index. (See ''External links'' below).Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. 1783. ''Encyclopédie Méthodique: botanique''. 1(1):174

Paleontological record

The wood, fruit, and pollen of ''Alangium'' are distinctive. Fossils of ''Alangium'' have been recognized from the early Eocene of England and the middle Eocene of western North America. In former times, ''Alangium'' was far more widespread than it is today.

Species

''The Plant List'' recognises 42 accepted species (including infraspecific names):

* ''Alangium alpinum''
* ''Alangium barbatum''
** subsp. ''barbatum''
** subsp. ''decipiens''
** subsp. ''faberi''
* '' Alangium brachyanthum''
* ''Alangium chinense''
* ''Alangium chungii''
* ''Alangium circulare''
* ''Alangium grisolleoides''
* ''Alangium havilandii''
* ''Alangium javanicum''
** var. ''ebenaceum''
** var. ''papuanum''
* ''Alangium kurzii''
* ''Alangium longiflorum''
* ''Alangium maliliense''
* ''Alangium nobile''
* ''Alangium platanifolium''
* ''Alangium premnifolium''
* ''Alangium qingchuanense''
* ''Alangium ridleyi''
* ''Alangium rotundifolium''
* ''Alangium salviifolium''
** subsp. ''hexapetalum''
* ''Alangium scandens''
* ''Alangium sinicum''
* '' Alangium taiwanianum''
* ''Alangium tetrandrum''
* ''Alangium tonkinense''
* ''Alangium uniloculare'' (syn. '' Alangium griffithii'')
* ''Alangium villosum''
** subsp. ''bussyanum''
** subsp. ''ferrugineum''
** var. ''javanicum''
** subsp. ''parviflorum''
** subsp. ''pilosum''
** subsp. ''polyosmoides''
** subsp. ''tomentosum''
** subsp. ''vitiense''
** subsp. ''warburgianum''
* ''Alangium yunnanense''

Characteristics

Differences from the other genera in Cornaceae include articulated pedicels, subulate bracts, bitegmic seeds and the single-seeded fruit. The entire or lobed leaves are alternate. The bisexual (rarely unisexual) nectariferous flowers are arranged in axillary cymes. The flowers have 4-10 small sepals and 4-10 linear petals. There are 4–40 stamens distributed in a single cycle. The ovary is inferior and bilocular (sometimes unilocular). The fruit is drupe.

A detailed description of ''Alangium'' can be found at Flora of China (journal).Haining Qin and Chamlong Phengklai. 2007. ''Alangium'' pages 304-308. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, and Hong Deyuan (editors). 1994 onward. ''Flora of China vol. 13: Clusiaceae - Araliaceae.'' Science Press: Beijing, China; and Missouri Botanical Garden Press: St. Louis, MO, USA. (vol. 13) (set). (See ''External links'' below). Detailed botanical illustrations are available for several species.Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Hong Deyuan (editors), and Zhang Libing (illustrations editor). 2008. ''Flora of China Illustrations'', vol. 13: Clusiaceae - Araliaceae: 328-333. Science Press: Beijing, China; and Missouri Botanical Garden Press: St. Louis, MO, USA. .

Taxonomy

In 2011, a phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences showed that ''Alangium'' is sister to '' Cornus''. Since 1939, ''Alangium'' has been divided into four sections: Conostigma, Rhytidandra, Marlea, and Alangium. Some authors have raised Marlea and Rhytidandra to generic rank. The intergeneric classification of ''Alangium'' will require a few changes.

Traditional uses

One species, ''Alangium chinense'' (), is considered one of the fifty fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine.

References

External links

''Alangium''
A
Index Nominum Genericorum
At

At

At
Research and Collections
At
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

''Alangium''
In: Volume 1
Of: Encyclopédie méthodique: botanique
At: Biodiversity Heritage Library

List of lower taxa''Alangium''.pdf''Alangium''Chinese Plant NamesAlangiaceaeFOC vol. 13Family ListFlora of ChinaeFloras

''Alangium''
At:Plant Names
At:IPNI

CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C
At:Botany & Plant Science
At:Life Science
At:CRC PressGermplasm Resources Information Network: ''Alangium''
*
Flora of Pakistan: ''Alangium''Flora of Madagascar: ''Alangium''Flora of China checklist: ''Alangium''

{{Authority control

Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine
Cornales genera