''Sanchezia'' 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 ...

of the

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

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 ...

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in te ...

. It is estimated to contain about 20 to 50

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. Members of this genus are

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, rarely 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 or

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s, occurring in the lowlands of tropical

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

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. ...

. A close relative is ''

Suessenguthia ''Suessenguthia'' is a genus of the Acanthaceae plant family comprising six species of shrubs with showy, tubular flowers arranged in few-flowered heads. It occurs in the lowlands and Andean foothills of southern Peru, Bolivia, and the Brazilian ...

'', which looks quite similar. Because they have large, colorful

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s and flowers, and sometimes even colorful leaves, several

are cultivated as ornamental plants throughout the tropics and in botanical gardens of temperate areas. Examples for species well known from cultivation are '' S. nobilis'', '' S. parvibracteata'' and '' S. speciosa''. In some areas, ornamental species have become problematic as

invasive weed An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

s. On the other hand, '' S. lampra'' from

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

is almost

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. ''Sanchezia'' is named for José Sánchez, a nineteenth-century professor of botany at

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Selected species

* '' Sanchezia lampra'' * '' Sanchezia ovata'' Ruiz & Pav. * '' Sanchezia parvibracteata'' * '' Sanchezia parviflora'' * '' Sanchezia peruviana'' * '' Sanchezia putumayensis'' * '' Sanchezia sericea'' * '' Sanchezia speciosa'' Leonard :* '' Sanchezia nobilis'' ( zh) Hook.f.
/ref> :* '' Sanchezia oblonga'' ( :wikispecies:Sanchezia oblonga)

Footnotes

References

* (1987): ''Tropical Shrubs''. University of Hawaii Press. * (1964): ''Sanchezia'' and related American Acanthaceae. ''

Rhodora ''Rhododendron canadense'', the rhodora or Canada rosebay, is a deciduous flowering shrub that is native to northeastern North America. Classification Today's botanists consider the rhodora to be a distant relative of the other North American ...

'' 66: 313-343.

External links

Tree of Life project''Sanchezia'' as an invasive weed
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2492116 Acanthaceae genera Taxa named by José Antonio Pavón Jiménez