''Clausena'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the citrus family,

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist

Nicolaas Laurens Burman Nicolaas Laurens Burman (27 December 1734 – 11 September 1793) was a Dutch botanist. He was the son of Johannes Burman (1707–1780). He succeeded his father to the chair of botany at the Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam., and at the Hortus Bot ...

in 1768. It is distributed in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

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 Aurantioideae (sometimes known as Citroideae) is the subfamily within the rue and citrus family (Rutaceae) that contains the citrus. The subfamily's center of diversity is in the monsoon region of eastern Australasia, extending west through Sout ...

, which also includes genus ''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

''. 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

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. 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 Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

, divided into leaflets. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

varies in form, but is generally a cluster of several flowers with 4 or 5 petals and

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s. 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 Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material * ...

of many other fruits in the citrus family. The genus can be distinguished from related plants by the presence of a

gynophore A gynophore is the stalk of certain flowers which supports the gynoecium (the ovule-producing part of a flower), elevating it above the branching points of other floral parts. Plant genera that have flowers with gynophores include '' Telopea'', ''P ...

, 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 Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

. ''C. excavata'' is used medicinally in Asia for a variety of conditions, including

snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

, and

HIV infection Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

.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 A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

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 ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, 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 Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

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 heptaphylla'' *''

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 wallichii''

References

External links

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