''Melochia'' 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 mallow 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, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

. It comprises 54

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 ...

from the

tropical 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 ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

regions of the world, ranging from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

eastwards through

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...

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 ...

to the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. Some taxonomy books have placed genus ''Melochia'' in family ''

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 ...

,'' but ''Sterculiaceae'' is now generally considered obsolete as a taxonomic class. The name "Melochia" comes from the Arabic name

Mulukhiyah Mulukhiyah, also known as molokhia, molohiya, or ewedu, ( ar, ملوخية, mulūkhiyyah) is a dish made from the leaves of ''Corchorus olitorius'', commonly known in English as denje'c'jute, nalta jute, tossa jute, jute mallow or Jew's Mall ...

which in Arabic means mallow plants of the genus ''

Corchorus ''Corchorus'' is a genus of about 40–100 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Different common names are used in different contexts, with jute applying to the f ...

'' (including ''

Corchorus olitorius Jute mallow or nalta jute (''Corchorus olitorius'', also known as " Jew's mallow", "tossa jute", "bush okra", "krinkrin", "etinyung", "Mulukhiyah", Ademe (Adémé, in Togo) and "West African sorrel", among many other local names, often invoking th ...

'') which are cultivated as vegetables in Egypt (and elsewhere). The take-up of this Arabic ''Molokheya'' as a label for the ''Melochia'' mallow plants began with the Latin botanist

Prospero Alpini Prospero Alpini (also known as Prosper Alpinus, Prospero Alpinio and Latinized as Prosperus Alpinus) (23 November 15536 February 1617) was a Venetian physician and botanist. He travelled around Egypt and served as the fourth prefect in charge of ...

(died 1617), who spent several years in Egypt in the 1580s, and Alpini's name was soon adopted by the botanists

Johann Bauhin Johann (or Jean) Bauhin (12 December 1541 – 26 October 1613) was a Swiss botanist, born in Basel. He was the son of physician Jean Bauhin and the brother of physician and botanist Gaspard Bauhin. Biography Bauhin studied botany at the Univers ...

(died 1613),

Caspar Bauhin Gaspard Bauhin or Caspar Bauhin ( la, Casparus Bauhinus; 17 January 1560 – 5 December 1624), was a Swiss botanist whose ''Pinax theatri botanici'' (1623) described thousands of plants and classified them in a manner that draws comparisons to t ...

(died 1624), and

Johann Vesling Johann Vesling (Latin: Veslingius) (1598 – 30 August 1649) was a German anatomist and botanist from Minden, Westphalia. He published a major illustrated work on human anatomy ''Syntagma Anatomicum'' (1641). Life and work Vesling was born in ...

(visited Egypt 1628; died 1649).L. Marcel Devic (year 1876)
''Dictionnaire étymologique des mots français d'origine orientale''
Helmut Genaust (year 1998),
Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen
'. Prosperi Alpini (year 1592, republished year 1640
''De Plantis Aegypti'' (in Latin)

Selected species

* '' Melochia arborea'' * '' Melochia caracasana'' * '' Melochia carrioni'' * '' Melochia chamaedrys'' * ''

Melochia corchorifolia ''Melochia corchorifolia'', the chocolateweed, is a weedy tropical plant that is typically seen in the wastelands. It has been most frequently observed to grow in open areas, such as highways.Mohlenbrock, R. (1982) The Illustrated Flora of Illino ...

'' L. * '' Melochia hermannioides'' * '' Melochia makateaensis'' * '' Melochia manducata'' * '' Melochia nodiflora''

Sw. Olof Peter Swartz (21 September 1760 – 19 September 1818) was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes. Biography Olof Swartz attended the University of Uppsala where he st ...

* ''

Melochia odorata ''Melochia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It comprises 54 species from the Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical regions of the world, ranging from India eastwards through Malesia and the Pacific Islands ...

'' * '' Melochia parvifolia'' * '' Melochia pilosa'' * '' Melochia pyramidata'' L. * '' Melochia spicata'' * '' Melochia tomentosa'' L. * '' Melochia umbellata'' ( Houtt.) Stapf * '' Melochia villosa'' * '' Melochia vitiensis''

Selected species

Formerly placed here

References

Notes