''Olmediella'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

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 Salicaceae. It consists of one

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 ...

of trees: ''Olmediella betschleriana'', which is native to Central America. Formerly placed in the heterogeneous family Flacourtiaceae,Sleumer, H.O. 1980. Flacourtiaceae. ''Flora Neotropica'' 22: 1-499. ''Olmediella'' is now classified in Salicaceae, along with close relatives ''

Bennettiodendron ''Bennettiodendron'' is a genus of shrubs or small trees, in the family Salicaceae The Salicaceae is the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') included the willows, poplar, aspen, and cotto ...

'', ''

Carrierea ''Carrierea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Salicaceae. Its native range is Southern China, Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of So ...

'', ''

Idesia :Idesia'' as established by Scopoli is a suppressed name; see ''Diospyros. ''Idesia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Salicaceae (formerly placed in the family Flacourtiaceae), comprising the single species ''Idesia polycarpa''. It ...

'', ''

Itoa ''Itoa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Salicaceae. It is also in the tribe Saliceae. Its native range is southern China to Vietnam, central and eastern Malesia to New Guinea. It is found in China (Hainan), Maluku Islands, New Guin ...

'', '' Macrohasseltia'', ''

Poliothyrsis ''Poliothyrsis'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Salicaceae. It contains a single Tree, arborescent species, ''Poliothyrsis sinensis''. Its native range is China. References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q2708552, from2=Q339425 ...

'', and even the willows ('' Salix'') and cottonwoods (''

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

'') themselves.Alford, M.H. 2005. Systematic Studies in Flacourtiaceae. Dissertation, Cornell University. ''Olmediella'' has a number of features that point to its close relationship to the willows ( Salix), including flowers subtended by prominent

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, flowers with a highly reduced

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

, and nectaries located next to each

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

. Its sometimes spiny-margined leaves, though, are unlike those of any ''Salix'', and some early botanists even included the species in the genus ''

Ilex ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The speci ...

''.

References

Monotypic Malpighiales genera Salicaceae Flora of Central America Trees of Guatemala Salicaceae genera Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon {{Salicaceae-stub