''Plagianthus'' 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 confined to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

. The familial placement of the genus was controversial for many years, but modern genetic studies show it definitely belongs in the

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 ...

subfamily

Malvoideae Malvoideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, which includes in the minimum the genus ''Malva''. It was first used by Burnett in 1835, but was not much used until recently, where, within the framework of the APG System, which unites th ...

. The name means "slanted flowers".

Description

The type species '' P. divaricatus'' is a

divaricate Divaricate means branching, or having separation or a degree of separation. The angle between branches is wide. In botany In botany, the term is often used to describe the branching pattern of plants. Plants are said to be divaricating when the ...

shrub which grows at the edges of salt marshes. The other species, '' P. regius'' is a tree which in juvenile stage may be

(subsp. ''regius'') or not (subsp. ''chathamica''). These are the only species recognized currently. In the past, species from related genera such as '' Hoheria'' (New Zealand), '' Asterotrichion'', '' Lawrencia'' and '' Gynatrix'' (Australia) were sometimes assigned to the genus. Instead, all these genera are now grouped in an informal "''Plagianthus'' alliance".

References

External links

:
Malvaceae website, ''Plagianthus'' page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9060360 Flora of New Zealand Malvoideae Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster Malvaceae genera