''Pierranthus'' is a
monotypic genus
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
of
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 belonging to the family
Linderniaceae
Linderniaceae is a family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales, which consists of about 25 genus, genera and 265 species occurring worldwide. ''Vandellia micrantha'' is eaten in Laos, but tastes bitter. Best known are the w ...
. The only known species is ''Pierranthus capitatus'' .
Its native range is
Indo-China
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
and it is found in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The genus name of ''Pierranthus'' is in honour of
Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre
Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre (23 October 1833 – 30 October 1905), also known as J. B. Louis Pierre, was a French botanist known for his Asian studies.
Early life
Pierre was born in Saint-André, Réunion, and studied in Paris before workin ...
(1833–1905), a French botanist known for his Asian studies. The genus has one known synonym of ''Delpya'' .
The Latin
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
of ''capitatus'' is derived from
capitate
The capitate bone is a bone in the human wrist found in the center of the carpal bone region, located at the distal end of the radius and ulna bones. It articulates with the third metacarpal bone (the middle finger) and forms the third carpomet ...
meaning having dense-headed growth.
Both the genus and the species were first described and published in Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève, séries 2, Vol.4 n page 254 in 1912.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5649281, from2=Q17751625
Linderniaceae
Monotypic Lamiales genera
Plants described in 1912
Flora of Cambodia
Flora of Thailand
Flora of Vietnam