''Ruyschia'' 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 belonging to the family

Marcgraviaceae The Marcgraviaceae are a neotropical angiosperm family in the order Ericales. The members of the family are shrubs, woody epiphytes, and lianas, with alternate, pinnately nerved leaves. The flowers are arranged in racemes. The flowers are accomp ...

. Its native range is from southern Mexico down to Tropical America. It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Leeward Islands, Mexico, Panamá, Peru, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles and the Windward Islands. The genus name of ''Ruyschia'' is in honour of

Frederik Ruysch Frederik Ruysch (; March 28, 1638 – February 22, 1731) was a Dutch botanist and anatomist. He is known for developing techniques for preserving anatomical specimens, which he used to create dioramas or scenes incorporating human parts. His ana ...

(1638–1731), a Dutch botanist and

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

. He is known for developing techniques for preserving anatomical specimens, which he used to create dioramas or scenes incorporating human parts. It was first described and published in Enum. Syst. Pl. on page 2 in 1760.

Known species

According to Kew: *'' Ruyschia andina'' *'' Ruyschia clusiifolia'' *'' Ruyschia enervia'' *'' Ruyschia moralesii'' *'' Ruyschia pavonii'' *'' Ruyschia phylladenia'' *'' Ruyschia pilophora'' *'' Ruyschia tremadena'' *'' Ruyschia valerioi'' *'' Ruyschia viridiflora''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q291801 Marcgraviaceae Ericales genera Plants described in 1760 Flora of Veracruz Flora of Southeastern Mexico Flora of Central America Flora of Venezuela Flora of western South America