''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It is the third largest genus in the family Commelinaceae after '' Commelina'' and '' Tradescantia'', and it is one of only six genera in the family to occur in both the

Eastern Hemisphere The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth which is east of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and west of the antimeridian (which crosses the Pacific Ocean and relatively little land from pole to pol ...

and the Western Hemisphere. ''Aneilema'' consists of

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s that may be either perennial or annual. They are characterised by their zygomorphic flowers which, unlike the closely related genus '' Commelina'', usually lack a modified leaf enclosing the flower stalk at maturity. The uppermost leaf on the flowering stalk is often highly modified, however, and in a few species, such as '' Aneilema clarkei'', the upper leaf does completely surround the inflorescence. The flowering stalks of ''Aneilema'' tend to be much larger than those of ''Commelina'', with some species having inflorescences of more than 25 cm in length, although some are as short as 2 cm. ; Species * '' Aneilema acuminatum'' R.Br. - New Guinea, Maluku, Solomon Islands, Queensland, New South Wales * '' Aneilema aequinoctiale'' - tropical + southern Africa * '' Aneilema alatum'' Koord. - Java * ''

Aneilema angolense ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' C.B.Clarke - Angola * '' Aneilema aparine'' H.Perrier - Madagascar * '' Aneilema arenicola'' Faden - KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique * ''

Aneilema benadirense ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Chiov. - Somalia * ''

Aneilema beniniense ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' (P.Beauv.) Kunth - tropical Africa * ''

Aneilema biflorum ''Aneilema biflorum'' is a perennial herb in the family Commelinaceae. It grows in moist and shaded places, often near streams in eastern Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign c ...

'' - Queensland, New South Wales * '' Aneilema brasiliense'' C.B.Clarke - Brazil, Venezuela * ''

Aneilema brenanianum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Faden - Kenya, Tanzania * ''

Aneilema brunneospermum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Faden - Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa * ''

Aneilema calceolus ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Brenan - Kenya, Tanzania * ''

Aneilema chrysopogon ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Brenan - Zambia, Tanzania * '' Aneilema clarkei'' Rendle - Kenya, Tanzania * ''

Aneilema dispermum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Brenan - Malawi, Tanzania * ''

Aneilema dregeanum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Kunth - Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa; naturalized in Vietnam * ''

Aneilema ephemerum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Faden - Kenya * ''

Aneilema forsskalii ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Kunth - Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia * ''

Aneilema gillettii ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Brenan - Ethiopia, Kenya * '' Aneilema grandibracteolatum'' Faden - Ethiopia * '' Aneilema hirtum'' A.Rich. - eastern Africa from Ethiopia to Zambia * '' Aneilema hockii'' De Wild - eastern + southern Africa * '' Aneilema homblei'' De Wild - DRC * '' Aneilema indehiscens'' Faden - eastern + southern Africa * '' Aneilema johnstonii'' K.Schum. - eastern + southern Africa * '' Aneilema lamuense'' Faden - Kenya, Somalia * ''

Aneilema lanceolatum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, ''Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Benth. - tropical Africa * '' Aneilema leiocaule'' K.Schum. - eastern + central Africa * '' Aneilema longicapsa'' Faden - Somalia * '' Aneilema longirrhizum'' Faden - Northern Province of South Africa * '' Aneilema macrorrhizum'' T.C.E.Fr. - Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia * '' Aneilema minutiflorum'' Faden - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda * '' Aneilema mortonii'' Brenan - Ghana, Togo * '' Aneilema neocaledonicum'' Schltr. - Vanuatu, New Caledonia * '' Aneilema nicholsonii'' C.B.Clarke - eastern + southern Africa * '' Aneilema nyasense'' C.B.Clarke - southeastern Africa * '' Aneilema obbiadense'' Chiov. - Somalia * ''

Aneilema paludosum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is ...

'' A.Chev. - western Africa * '' Aneilema pedunculosum'' C.B.Clarke - southeastern Africa * '' Aneilema petersii'' (Hassk.) C.B.Clarke - eastern + southeastern Africa * '' Aneilema plagiocapsa'' K.Schum. - DRC, Zambia, Angola * ''

Aneilema pomeridianum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is ...

'' Stanf. & Brenan - Nigeria, Niger, Togo, Benin, Ghana * '' Aneilema pusillum'' Chiov. - Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia * '' Aneilema recurvatum'' Faden - Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania * ''

Aneilema rendlei ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is ...

'' C.B.Clarke - Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania * '' Aneilema richardsiae'' Brenan - DRC, Zambia, Tanzania * '' Aneilema schlechteri'' K.Schum. - Zimbabwe, Transvaal, Eswatini * ''

Aneilema sclerocarpum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, ''Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' F.Muell. - Queensland * '' Aneilema sebitense'' Faden - Kenya, Ethiopia * ''

Aneilema setiferum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, '' Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is ...

'' A.Chev. - western Africa * '' Aneilema siliculosum'' R.Br. - Queensland, Northern Territory * ''

Aneilema silvaticum ''Aneilema silvaticum'' is a species of plant in the family Commelinaceae. It is found in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria.Cabezas, F.J., de la Estrella, M., Aedo, C. & Velayos, M. (2009). Checklist of Commelinaceae of ...

'' - Nigeria, Togo, Cameroon, Bioko, Zaïre * '' Aneilema somaliense'' C.B.Clarke - Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia * '' Aneilema spekei'' C.B.Clarke - eastern Africa * '' Aneilema succulentum'' Faden - Kenya * '' Aneilema tanaense'' Faden - Kwale District of Kenya * '' Aneilema taylorii'' C.B.Clarke - Kenya, Tanzania * '' Aneilema termitarium'' Faden - Zaïre, Zambia, Tanzania * ''

Aneilema trispermum ''Aneilema'' is a genus of monocotyledonous plants of approximately 60 species. The vast majority of the species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, but a few are found in Oceania and one, ''Aneilema brasiliense'', is from South America. It is the ...

'' Faden - Somalia * ''

Aneilema umbrosum ''Aneilema umbrosum'' (yungas, rain, chiquitano) is a species of plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and in ...

'' (Vahl) Kunth - tropical Africa; tropical South America, Trinidad, Costa Rica, Panama * '' Aneilema usambarense'' Faden - Usambara Mountains of Tanzania * '' Aneilema welwitschii'' C.B.Clarke - central + southern Africa * '' Aneilema woodii'' Faden - Yemen * '' Aneilema zebrinum'' Chiov. ex Chiarugi - - Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, KwaZulu-Natal

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1338806 Commelinales genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot