''Glochidion'' is a

genus 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 nom ...

of flowering plants, of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae.Kenneth J. Wurdack and Charles C. Davis. 2009. "Malpighiales phylogenetics: Gaining ground on one of the m ...

, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300

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 appropriat ...

, distributed from

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 Afric ...

to 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 ...

. ''Glochidion'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species including ''

Aenetus eximia ''Aenetus eximia'' is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from southern Queensland, Australia, to Tasmania. The wingspan is about 70 mm. Adult males are blue-green. Females are green with two spots on each forewing. The hindwings a ...

'' and '' Endoclita damor''. The

Nicobarese people The Nicobarese people are an Austroasiatic-speaking people of the Nicobar Islands, a chain of islands in the Bay of Bengal north of Sumatra, forming part of the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Only 12 of the 19 islands a ...

have attested to the medicinal properties found in ''G. calocarpum'', saying that its bark and seed are most effective in curing abdominal disorders associated with

amoebiasis Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by a parasitic amoeba '' Entamoeba histolytica''. Amoebiasis can be present with no, mild, or severe symptoms. Symptoms may include lethargy, loss of weight, colonic ...

. ''Glochidion'' are of note in the fields of

pollination biology Anthecology, or pollination biology, is the study of pollination as well as the relationships between flowers and their pollinators. Floral biology is a bigger field that includes these studies. Most flowering plants, or angiosperms, are pollinat ...

and

coevolution In biology, coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through the process of natural selection. The term sometimes is used for two traits in the same species affecting each other's evolution, as well ...

because they have a specialized mutualism with moths in the genus ''

Epicephala ''Epicephala'' (leafflower moths) is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae. ''Epicephala'' is of note in the fields of pollination biology and coevolution because many species in this genus are pollinators of plants in the genera ''Gl ...

'' (leafflower moths), in which the moths actively pollinate the flowers—thereby ensuring that the tree may produce viable seeds—but also lay eggs in the flowers' ovaries, where their larvae consume a subset of the developing seeds as nourishment. Other species of ''Epicephala'' are pollinators, and in some cases, non-pollinating seed predators, of certain species of plants in the genera ''

Phyllanthus ''Phyllanthus'' is the largest genus in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number of species in this genus vary widely, from 750David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book.'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University ...

'' and ''

Breynia ''Breynia'' is a plant genus in the family Phyllanthaceae, first described in 1776. It is native to Southeast Asia, China, the Indian Subcontinent, Papuasia, Australia, and the island of Réunion. The name ''Breynia'' is a conserved name ...

'', both closely related to ''Glochidion''. This relationship is similar to those between figs and

fig wasp Fig wasps are wasps of the superfamily Chalcidoidea which spend their larval stage inside figs. Most are pollinators but others simply feed off the plant. The non-pollinators belong to several groups within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, while the ...

s and

yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitis ...

s and yucca moths. Although the genus ''Glochidion'' is native only to 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 thei ...

, the East Asian species ''

Glochidion puberum ''Glochidion puberum'' is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is native to China, where it is widely distributed in both subtropical and temperate regions (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, H ...

'' has become naturalized at several locations in the U.S. state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

. In a 2006 revision of the Phyllanthaceae, it was recommended that ''Glochidion'' be subsumed in ''Phyllanthus''. New combinations in ''Phyllanthus'' have been published for Madagascar and the Pacific Islands,Wagner WL, Lorence DH. A nomenclator of Pacific oceanic island Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae), including Glochidion. PhytoKeys. 2011(4):67-94 but most remain to be published.

Selected species

An incomplete listing: *''

Glochidion apodogynum ''Glochidion'' is a genus of flowering plants, of the family Phyllanthaceae, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to th ...

'' *''

Glochidion barronense ''Glochidion'' is a genus of flowering plants, of the family Phyllanthaceae, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to th ...

'' *'' Glochidion benthamianum'' *'' Glochidion bourdillonii'' *'' Glochidion calocarpum'' *'' Glochidion christophersenii'' *'' Glochidion carrickii'' *'' Glochidion comitum'' *'' Glochidion disparipes'' *'' Glochidion eriocarpum'' *''

Glochidion ferdinandi ''Glochidion ferdinandi'', with common names that include cheese tree (see below), is a species of small to medium–sized trees, constituting part of the plant family Phyllanthaceae. They grow naturally across eastern Australia, from south–eas ...

'' - cheese tree, buttonwood, pencil cedar, water gum, rain tree :* var. ''ferdinandi'' :* var. ''pubens'' *'' Glochidion gardneri'' *'' Glochidion grantii'' *'' Glochidion harveyanum'' - buttonwood, daphne buttonwood :* var. ''harveyanum'' :* var. ''pubescens'' *''

Glochidion hylandii ''Glochidion hylandii '' known as the buttonwood, Hyland's buttonwood or pin flower tree is a plant in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is found in tropical north eastern Australia in the vicinity of the Atherton Tableland. Usually a small tree fou ...

'' *'' Glochidion insulare'' *'' Glochidion johnstonei'' *'' Glochidion lanceolarium'' *'' Glochidion lobocarpum'' *'' Glochidion longfieldiae'' *'' Glochidion manono'' *'' Glochidion marchionicum'' *'' Glochidion moonii'' *'' Glochidion moorei'' *'' Glochidion myrtifolium'' *'' Glochidion nadeaudii'' *'' Glochidion orientalis'' *'' Glochidion papenooense'' *'' Glochidion pauciflorum'' *'' Glochidion perakense'' - umbrella cheese tree, buttonwood :* var. ''supra-axillare'' *'' Glochidion philippicum'' *''

Glochidion pitcairnense ''Glochidion pitcairnense'' is a species of plant in the family Phyllanthaceae. It occurs only in the Henderson Henderson may refer to: People * Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Hende ...

'' *'' Glochidion pruinosum'' *''

'' *'' Glochidion pungens'' *'' Glochidion raivavense'' *''

Glochidion ramiflorum ''Glochidion'' is a genus of flowering plants, of the family Phyllanthaceae, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to th ...

'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. *'' Glochidion rapaense'' *'' Glochidion seemannii'' Müll.-Arg. *'' Glochidion sessiliflorum'' :* var. ''pedicellatum'' :* var. ''sessiliflorum'' :* var. ''stylosum'' *'' Glochidion sisparense'' *'' Glochidion stellatum'' *'' Glochidion stylosum'' *'' Glochidion sumatranum'' *'' Glochidion symingtonii'' *'' Glochidion taitense'' *'' Glochidion temehaniense'' *'' Glochidion tomentosum'' *'' Glochidion tooviianum'' *'' Glochidion xerocarpum''

References

External links

Youtube video of a ''Glochidion lanceolarium'' flower being pollinated by an ''Epicephala lanceolaria'' moth
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1245856 Phyllanthaceae genera