Dombeyoideae is a widely distributed

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 ...

of the

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

, as proposed by the APG. Most of the plants placed here were once assembled with more or less related

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

in the

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

Sterculiaceae Sterculiaceae was a family of flowering plant based on the genus ''Sterculia''. Genera formerly included in Sterculiaceae are now placed in the family Malvaceae, in the subfamilies: Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae. A ...

; a lesser number were placed in the

Tiliaceae Tiliaceae () is a family of flowering plants. It is not a part of the APG, APG II and APG III classifications, being sunk in Malvaceae mostly as the subfamilies Tilioideae, Brownlowioideae and Grewioideae, but has an extensive historical record o ...

which were also not monophyletic. The Dombeyoideae were originally described by Carl Beilschmied in 1833. In the present delimitation, they contain roughly 20 genera with about 380

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, some 60% of which are in ''Dombeya'' (one of the most speciose genera of Malvaceae). They grow in the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

, especially

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and the

Mascarenes The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their ...

where about two-thirds of the species occur. In the Mascarenes, they are among the most diverse angiosperm groups, analogous to such (unrelated) plants as the

aeonium ''Aeonium'', the tree houseleeks, is a genus of about 35 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. Many species are popular in horticulture. The genus name comes from the ancient Greek αἰώνιος / aiōnios (agel ...

s on the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

or the

silversword alliance The silversword alliance, also known as the tarweeds, refers to an adaptive radiation of around 30 species in the composite or sunflower family, Asteraceae. The group is endemic to Hawaii, and is derived from a single immigrant to the islands. Fo ...

of the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. The subfamily is sometimes further divided into

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

s (Corchoropsideae, Dombeyeae, Eriolaeneae, Helmiopsideae), but this is more often considered unwarranted. Probably, most or all of these supposed subdivisions are not monophyletic and thus technically synonyms of the whole subfamily. Several species are noted for their beautiful

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

which is used for inlays and other artwork. Others – namely from the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...

Dombeya ''Dombeya'' is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometim ...

'' – are popular

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s due to their beautiful flowers. ''

Trochetia ''Trochetia'' is a genus of flowering plants from the family Malvaceae (formerly in the Sterculiaceae, but this family is now usually subsumed in the Malvaceae). They are endemic to the Mascarene Islands. The genus was first described by A.P. d ...

'' is famous for the peculiar coloured

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

it can produce, and it often is

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

by ''

Phelsuma ''Phelsuma'' is a large genus of geckos in the family Gekkonidae. Species in the genus ''Phelsuma'' are commonly referred to as day geckos. Some day geckos are seriously endangered and some are common, but all ''Phelsuma'' species are CITES App ...

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

Selected genera

Genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

of Dombeyoideae include:Hinsley (2007b) * ''

Astiria ''Astiria'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Malvaceae. Its native range is Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an isla ...

'' Lindl. – probably belongs in ''Dombeya'' * ''

Burretiodendron ''Burretiodendron'' is a genus of trees. Traditionally included in the family Tiliaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. It contains some species formerly in the (not too closely related) '' P ...

'' – formerly in Tiliaceae * '' Cheirolaena'' Benth * '' Corchoropsis'' Siebold & Zucc. – formerly in Tiliaceae * ''

'' * ''

Eriolaena ''Eriolaena'' is a genus of flowering plants. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included now in the recently expanded Malvaceae. The genus is distributed in Asia, from southern China through Indochina to India, Bangladesh, ...

'' * ''

Harmsia ''Harmsia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Malvaceae. It is native to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The genus name of ''Harmsia'' is in honour of Hermann Harms (1870–1942), a German taxonomist and botanist. It was first ...

'' K.Schum. * '' Helmiopsiella'' Arenes * ''

Helmiopsis ''Helmiopsis'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Malvaceae. Its native range is Madagascar. The genus name of ''Helmiopsis'' is in honour of C. Helm, German clergyman in Berlin and amateur botanist. It was first described a ...

'' H.Perrier * '' Melhania'' * '' Nesogordonia'' * '' Paradombeya'' Stapf * '' Paramelhania'' Arenes * ''

Pentapetes ''Pentapetes'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, c ...

'' L. * ''

Pterospermum ''Pterospermum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae. Its species are tropical trees that range from southern China across tropical Asia. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expand ...

'' * '' Ruizia'' Cav. * ''

Schoutenia ''Schoutenia'' is a genus of flowering plants. It ranges from Indochina through Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and Northern Australia."''Schoutenia'' Korth.". ''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 22 August 2021/ref> Traditiona ...

'' – formerly in Tiliaceae * '' Sicrea'' f. – formerly in Tiliaceae * ''

'' * ''

Trochetiopsis The flowering plant genus ''Trochetiopsis'' consists of two extant and one extinct species endemic to the island of Saint Helena (South Atlantic Ocean). They were formerly placed in the family Sterculiaceae, but this is included in the expanded ...

Footnotes

References

* (2006): Does minimizing homoplasy really maximize homology? MaHo: A method for evaluating homology among most parsimonious trees. '' C. R. Palevol'' 7(1): 17–26. (HTML abstract) * (2007a)
Synonymy of Malvaceae
Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. * (2007b)

Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. {{Taxonbar, from=Q645194 Rosid subfamilies