''Oldenlandia'' 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 ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

. It is

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical'' is a zoogeographic term ...

in distribution and has about 240

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 ...

.Inge Groeninckx, Steven Dessein, Helga Ochoterena, Claes Persson, Timothy J. Motley, Jesper Kårehed, Birgitta Bremer, Suzy Huysmans, and Erik Smets. 2009. "Phylogeny of the herbaceous tribe Spermacoceae (Rubiaceae) based on plastid DNA data". ''Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden'' 96(1):109–132.David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

for the genus is ''

Oldenlandia corymbosa ''Oldenlandia corymbosa'', commonly known as flat-top mille graines or diamond flower, is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. I ...

''.''Oldenlandia'' In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In:

Regnum Vegetabile The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) is an organization established to promote an understanding of plant biodiversity, facilitate international communication of research between botanists, and oversee matters of uniformity and ...

(see ''External links'' below). ''Oldenlandia'' was named by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1753 in Species Plantarum.Carolus Linnaeus. 1753. ''Species Plantarum'' 1:119. Laurentii Salvii. (see ''External Links'' below). The name honors the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

botanist Henrik Bernard Oldenland (1697).Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'', volume III. CRC Press: Baton Rouge, New York, London, Washington DC. (vol. III). (see ''External links'' below). Some species are important in

ethnomedicine Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. The ...

; a number (usually island

endemics Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

) are

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depen ...

, with one species and one

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

being completely extinct already. Some botanists have not recognized ''Oldenlandia'', but have placed some or all of its species in a broadly defined ''

Hedyotis ''Hedyotis'' (starviolet) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. Many species of this genus such as ''Hedyotis biflora, H. corymbosa'' and ''H. diffusa'' are well known medicinal plants. ''Hedyotis'' is native to tropical and su ...

''. More recently, the

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) *Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthrop ...

of ''Hedyotis'' has been narrowed to a monophyletic

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

of about 115 species and no longer includes ''Oldenlandia''.Jesper Kårehed, Inge Groeninckx, Steven Dessein, Timothy J. Motley, and Birgitta Bremer. 2008. "The phylogenetic utility of chloroplast and nuclear DNA markers and the phylogeny of the Rubiaceae tribe Spermacoceae". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 49(3):843–866. The genus ''Oldenlandia'', as presently defined, is several times

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

and will eventually be reduced to a group of species closely related to the type species. This group, known informally as ''Oldenlandia'' sensu stricto, is

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

to a

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

of ''

Kohautia ''Kohautia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are native to tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and Madagascar.David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. Inge ...

'' that will eventually be separated from ''Kohautia'' and named as a new genus.

Selected species

* '' Oldenlandia adscensionis'' ( extinct: 1889) * '' Oldenlandia aegialoides'' Bremek. * '' Oldenlandia affinis'' * '' Oldenlandia albonervia'' (Beddome) Gamble * '' Oldenlandia aretioides'' * '' Oldenlandia balfourii'' * '' Oldenlandia bicornuta'' * '' Oldenlandia cana'' Bremek. * '' Oldenlandia capensis'' * '' Oldenlandia cornata'' Craib * ''

'' L. * '' Oldenlandia diffusa'' * '' Oldenlandia forcipistipula'' Verdc. * '' Oldenlandia galioides'' * '' Oldenlandia gibsonii'' * '' Oldenlandia glauca'' Blatter * '' Oldenlandia lanceolata'' Craib * '' Oldenlandia lancifolia'' (Schumacher) DC. * '' Oldenlandia marcanii'' Craib * '' Oldenlandia microtheca'' (D.F.K.Schldl. & Cham.) DC. * ''

Oldenlandia ocellata ''Oldenlandia ocellata'' is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, ...

'' * '' Oldenlandia oxycoccoides'' Bremek. * '' Oldenlandia patula'' Bremek. * '' Oldenlandia polyclada'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell. * '' Oldenlandia pulvinata'' * '' Oldenlandia sieberi'' Baker ** ''Oldenlandia sieberi'' var. ''congesta'' ** ''Oldenlandia sieberi'' var. ''sieberi'' (extinct) * '' Oldenlandia spathulata'' * '' Oldenlandia tenelliflora'' ** ''Oldenlandia tenelliflora'' var. ''papuana'' * '' Oldenlandia thysanota'' (Halford) Halford * ''

Oldenlandia umbellata ''Oldenlandia umbellata'' (called chay root or choy root, from its Tamil name, ''chaaya ver'') is a low-growing plant native to India. A colour-fast red dye can be extracted from the root bark of (preferably) a two-year-old plant. Chay root dy ...

'' * '' Oldenlandia uvinsae'' Verdc. * '' Oldenlandia vasudevanii''

Selected species

References

External links