''Heinsia'' is a small

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 ...

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

shrubs or small trees in the family

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

. They are native to

tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with hot moist climates, which are caused by latitude and the trop ...

. The genus was first formally named in 1830 by

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candoll ...

Species

, the following five species are accepted in Plants of the World Online: *'' Heinsia bussei'' Verdc. *''

Heinsia crinita ''Heinsia crinita'' (commonly known as bush apple) is a species of perennial shrub or small tree in the family, Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists o ...

'' (Wennberg) G.Taylor *'' Heinsia mozambicensis'' (Verdc.) J.E.Burrows & S.M.Burrows *'' Heinsia myrmoecia'' (K.Schum.) N.Hallé *'' Heinsia zanzibarica'' (Bojer) Verdc.

References

Rubiaceae genera Flora of Africa Mussaendeae {{Ixoroideae-stub