Gymnosporia is an Old World genus of plants, that comprise suffrutices, shrubs and trees.[1] It was formerly considered congeneric with Maytenus, but more recent investigations separated it based on the presence of achyblasts (truncated branchlets) and spines, alternate leaves or fascicles of leaves, an inflorescence that forms a dichasium, mostly unisexual flowers, and fruit forming a dehiscent capsule, with an aril on the seed.[1] It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.[2]

Gymnosporia
Gymnosporia montana in Andhra Pradesh, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Celastrales
Family: Celastraceae
Genus: Gymnosporia
(Wight & Arn.) Hook.f.
Old fruit and seed of G. tenuispina

Range

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The genus occurs in all of Africa, Madagascar and adjacent islands, southern Spain, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Malesia, Micronesia, and in Queensland, Australia.[1] In the Afrotropical realm the two main centers of diversity are in the south and the northeast.

Species

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The genus includes some 114 species:[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Marie Prins; van Wyk, A. E. (2003). "Reinstatement of Gymnosporia (Celastraceae): implications for the Flora Malesiana region". Telopea. 10 (1): 155–167. doi:10.7751/telopea20035612.
  2. ^ Jordaan, Marie; Van Wyk, Abraham E. (2006). "Sectional Classification of Gymnosporia (Celastraceae), with Notes on the Nomenclatural and Taxonomic History of the Genus". Taxon. 55 (2): 515–525. doi:10.2307/25065602. JSTOR 25065602.
  3. ^ "Gymnosporia". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 2018-11-27.