''Clausena'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Laurens Burman in 1768. It is distributed in Africa, southern Asia,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and the

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

.''Clausena''.
Flora of China. This genus is in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Aurantioideae, which also includes genus '' Citrus''. It is in the subtribe Clauseninae, which are known technically as the remote citroid fruit trees.Swingle, W. T., rev. P. C. Reece
Chapter 3: The Botany of ''Citrus'' and its Wild Relatives.
In: ''The Citrus Industry'' vol. 1. Webber, H. J. (ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. 1967.
College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. University of California, Riverside. ''Clausena'' was named for the Norwegian clergyman,

Peder Claussøn Friis Peder Claussøn Friis (1 April 1545 – 15 October 1614) was a Norwegian clergyman, author and historian. He is most associated with his translation of ''Snorre Sturlessøns Norske Kongers Chronica''. Peder Claussen Friis grew up in Audnedal i ...

(1545-1614), the translator of the Icelandic historian and poet,

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

Description

The genus includes

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and trees. Some species are variable, with many forms. ''C. anisata'', for example has been described as a shrub under a meter tall and as a tree of . The leaves of these plants are pinnate, divided into leaflets. The inflorescence varies in form, but is generally a cluster of several flowers with 4 or 5 petals and sepals. The fruit is a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

which lacks the pulp of many other fruits in the citrus family. The genus can be distinguished from related plants by the presence of a gynophore, a structure supporting the

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

in the flower. It looks very different in the various species, however, and can be hard to recognize.

Uses

'' C. anisata'' is a tree used for its wood, and in traditional medicine. ''C. excavata'' is used medicinally in Asia for a variety of conditions, including snakebite, malaria, dysentery, and HIV infection.Thongthoom, T., et al. (2010)
Biological activity of chemical constituents from ''Clausena harmandiana''.
''Archives of Pharmacal Research'' 33(5), 675-80. Some species, such as ''C. indica'' and '' C. lansium'' (''wampi''), produce edible fruit. ''Wampi'' is cultivated as a fruit tree, and though it is only a remote relative of citrus, it can be

grafted Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

to various citrus trees. There are sour, sweet, and intermediate varieties of C. lansium.

Fossil record

A ''Clausena'' leaf fossil from the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

of Ethiopia, represents so far the oldest record of the genus.Citrus linczangensis sp. n., a Leaf Fossil of Rutaceae from the Late Miocene of Yunnan, China by Sanping Xie, Steven R Manchester, Kenan Liu and Bainian Sun - International Journal of Plant Sciences 174(8):1201-1207 October 2013.

Diversity

The taxonomy of the genus is unclear. There are between about 15 and 30 species. Many formerly used names were made

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

in a 1994 revision. Species include:''Clausena''.
The Plant List.GRIN Species Records of ''Clausena''.
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). *'' Clausena abyssinica'' *''

Clausena anisata :''Should not be confused with syzygium anisatum, a tree native to eastern Australian rainforests, used as a culinary herb.'' ''Clausena anisata'' (Willd.) Hook.f. ex Benth. is a deciduous shrub or small tree, belonging to the Rutaceae or Citrus ...

''– horsewood *'' Clausena anisum-olens'' (syn. ''C. sanki'', nom. rejic.) *'' Clausena austroindica'' *''

Clausena brevistyla ''Clausena brevistyla'' is a species of evergreen shrub to 6 m tall, in the citrus family Rutaceae. Found in New Guinea and Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Quee ...

'' *'' Clausena dentata'' *'' Clausena engleri'' *''

Clausena excavata ''Clausena excavata'' is a species of evergreen shrub that grows tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The p ...

'' *'' Clausena harmandiana'' *''

Clausena henryi ''Clausena'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Laurens Burman in 1768. It is distributed in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

'' *''

Clausena heptaphylla ''Clausena'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Laurens Burman in 1768. It is distributed in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

'' *''

Clausena indica ''Clausena'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Laurens Burman in 1768. It is distributed in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

'' *'' Clausena inolida'' *'' Clausena kanpurensis'' *''

Clausena lansium ''Clausena lansium'', also known as wampee or wampi, from Cantonese wong4 pei4-2 gwo2 (黄皮果, yellow-skinned fruit) (''Clausena wampi''), is a species of strongly scented evergreen trees 3–8 m tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to southea ...

''– wampi, wampee, Chinese clausena *'' Clausena lenis'' *'' Clausena luxurians'' *'' Clausena poilanei''Molino, J. F. (1994)
Révision du genre ''Clausena'' Burm. f.(Rutaceae).
''Adansonia'' 1, 105-53. *''

Clausena smyrelliana ''Clausena smyrelliana'', commonly known as Smyrell's clausena or Gregs wampi, is a species of evergreen shrub to 6 m tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to eastern Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a So ...

'' *''

Clausena wallichii ''Clausena'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Laurens Burman in 1768. It is distributed in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2993704 Aurantioideae genera Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman