''Purdiaea'' 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

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Clethraceae The Clethraceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, composed of two genera, ''Clethra'' and '' Purdiaea'', with approximately 75 species. They are native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia and the Americas, w ...

described as a genus in 1846.Tropicos, ''Purdiaea'' Planch.
/ref> It is one of two genera in this family, and was formerly classified in the related family

Cyrillaceae The Cyrillaceae are a small family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The family comprises two genera, ''Cliftonia'' and ''Cyrilla'', each containing a single ...

. ''Purdiaea'' is native to tropical regions of the Caribbean (with the highest species diversity on

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, further south than the related genus '' Clethra'', the only other genus of this family. The genus is composed of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s with alternating leaves. ;Selected species * '' Purdiaea belizensis'' (

A.C.Sm. Albert Charles Smith (April 5, 1906 – May 23, 1999) was an American botany, botanist who served as director of the National Museum of Natural History and Arnold Arboretum and was the former president of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. ...

Standl. Paul Carpenter Standley (March 21, 1884 – June 2, 1963) was an American botanist known for his work on neotropical plants. __TOC__ Standley was born on March 21, 1884 in Avalon, Missouri. He attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri an ...

) J.L.Thomas – "Belize purdiaea," Central America. * '' Purdiaea cubensis'' ( A.Rich.)

Urb. Ignatz Urban (7 January 1848 – 7 January 1931) was a German botanist. He is known for his contributions to the flora of the Caribbean and Brazil, and for his work as curator of the Berlin Botanical Garden. Born the son of a brewer, Urban s ...

– "Cuban purdiaea," "Clavellina," SE USA, Cuba. * '' Purdiaea ekmanii'' Vict. – Cuba * '' Purdiaea microphylla'' Britton & P.Wilson – Cuba * '' Purdiaea nipensis Vict. & León – Cuba * '' Purdiaea nutans'' G.Planch. – Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru * '' Purdiaea ophiticola'' Vict. – Cuba * '' Purdiaea shaferi'' Britton – Cuba * '' Purdiaea stenopetala''

Griseb. August Heinrich Rudolf Grisebach () was a German botany, botanist and phytogeography, phytogeographer. He was born in Hannover on 17 April 1814 and died in Göttingen on 9 May 1879. Biography Grisebach studied at the Lyceum in Hanover, the clo ...

– Cuba * '' Purdiaea tereosepala'' J.L.Thomas – Cuba * '' Purdiaea velutina'' Britton & P.Wilson – Cuba

References

External links

*Anderberg, A. A. & Zhang, Z. (2002). Phylogenetic relationships of Cyrillaceae and Clethraceae (Ericales) with special emphasis on the genus Purdiaea. ''Organisms, Div. & Evol''. 2: 127–13
abstract

* ttp://132.236.163.181/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?family=Cyrillaceae&rank=genus Photos of ''P. cubensis''br> Photo of ''P. nutans''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q147745 Ericales Ericales genera