''Pisonia'' is a genus 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 in the four o'clock flower family,

Nyctaginaceae Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...

. It was named for

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

physician and naturalist

Willem Piso Willem Piso (in Dutch Willem Pies, in Latin Gulielmus Piso, also called Guilherme Piso in Portuguese) (1611 in Leiden – 28 November 1678 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch physician and naturalist who participated as an expedition doctor in D ...

(1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees or birdlime trees because they catch birds. The sticky seeds are postulated to be an adaptation of some island species that ensures the dispersal of seeds between islands by attaching them to birds, and also allows the enriching of coralline sands. (Should a fledgling fall to the ground, become entangled in the ''Pisonia'' sticky seeds, and be unable to free itself, then it will starve, and so enrich the soil within the tree's rootzone.) These island species include '' P. brunoniana'' of Australasia and Polynesia and '' P. umbellifera'', which is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific region.

Species

*''

Pisonia aculeata ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees o ...

'' L. – pullback ( pantropical) *''

Pisonia alba ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees o ...

'' Span. *''

Pisonia albida ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher tree ...

'' (Heimerl) Britton ex Standl. – corcho bobo *''

Pisonia brunoniana ''Pisonia brunoniana'' is a species of flowering tree in the family Nyctaginaceae that is native to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Hawaii. The common names in New Zealand are parapara or birdcatcher tree. Description ''Piso ...

'' Endl. – Australasian catchbirdtree ( Australasia and Polynesia) *''

Pisonia capitata ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher tree ...

'' ( S.Watson) Standl. – Mexican devil's-claws *''

Pisonia donnellsmithii ''Pisonia donnellsmithii'' is a species of plant in the family Nyctaginaceae. It is found in El Salvador and Guatemala. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by ...

'' Heimerl ex Standl. ( El Salvador, Guatemala) *''

Pisonia ekmani ''Pisonia ekmani'' is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It is endemic to 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 ...

'' Heimerl (Cuba) *''

Pisonia excelsa ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher tree ...

'' Blume *''

Pisonia floribunda ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher tree ...

'' Hook. f. pega pega ( Galápagos Islands) *''

Pisonia floridana ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees o ...

'' Britt. ex Small – Rock Key devil's-claws *'' Pisonia graciliscens'' (Heimerl) Stenmerik ( French Polynesia) *''

Pisonia grandis ''Pisonia grandis'', the grand devil's-claws, is a species of flowering tree in the ''Bougainvillea'' family, Nyctaginaceae. Description The tree has broad, thin leaves, smooth bark and bears clusters of green sweet-smelling flowers that matu ...

'' R.Br. – grand devil's-claws ( Indo-Pacific) *'' Pisonia horneae'' (named after Frances W. Horne, 1873–1967) (Puerto Rico, Northern Karst and the Sierra de Cayey) *'' Pisonia notundata'' Griseb. – smooth devil's-claws *'' Pisonia roqueae'' (named after Ana Roqué de Duprey, 1853–1933) (Puerto Rico, Central Mountain Range and the Luquillo Mountains) *'' Pisonia sechellarum'' F.Friedmann (

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

) *'' Pisonia siphonocarpa'' (Heimerl) Stenmerik (French Polynesia) *''

Pisonia subcordata ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees ...

'' Sw. – water mampoo *''

Pisonia umbellifera ''Ceodes umbellifera'', synonym ''Pisonia umbellifera'', commonly known as the birdlime tree or bird catcher tree, is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. The evergreen shrub has soft wood, small pink or yellow flowers, and produces ca ...

'' ( J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.)

Seem. Berthold Carl Seemann (25 February 1825, in Hanover, Germany – 10 October 1871, in Nicaragua, Central America), was a German botanist. He travelled widely and collected and described plants from the Pacific and South America. In 1844 he trave ...

– umbrella catchbirdtree (Indo-Pacific) *'' Pisonia wagneriana'' Fosberg – Kauai catchbirdtree, ''pāpala kēpau'' (island of Kauai in Hawaii) *'' Pisonia zapallo'' Griseb.

Formerly placed here

* '' Guapira discolor'' (Spreng.) Little (as ''P. discolor'' Spreng.) * '' Rockia sandwicensis'' Heimerl (as ''P. sandwicensis'' )

Gallery

File:Pisonia alba (Lettuce tree) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 0470.jpg, ''

'' in Hyderabad, India File:Pisonia alba (Lettuce tree) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 0469.jpg, ''Pisonia alba'' in Hyderabad

References

{{Caryophyllales-stub