Flagellaria Explained

Flagellaria is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Flagellariaceae with only five species.^[1] The family has historically been recognized by few taxonomists. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, 1998), does recognize such a family, and assigns it to the order Poales in the clade commelinids, in the monocots.

Flagellaria consists of only five known species, found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and various island of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. These plants are remarkable for two reasons: they are vines which branch dichotomously and each of the leaves is tipped with a tendril.^[2]

List of species

• Flagellaria collaris Wepfer & H.P.Linder - Fiji
• Flagellaria gigantea Hook.f. - New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Niue, Fiji, New Guinea
• Flagellaria guineensis Schumach. - tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka
• Flagellaria indica L. - Asia, Papuasia, Australia, Micronesia, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues Island, Mozambique, Tanzania
• Flagellaria neocaledonica Schltr. - Solomon Islands, New Caledonia

External links

• Flagellariaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Version: 27 April 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060424062016/http://delta-intkey.com/
• Monocot families (USDA)
• Flagellariaceae in Flora of China
• Florabase (western Australia)
• NCBI Taxonomy Browser
• links at CSDL

Notes and References

1. Wepfer, P. H., & Linder, H. P. (2014). The taxonomy of Flagellaria (Flagellariaceae). Australian Systematic Botany, 27(3), 159-179. https://dx.doi.org/10.1071/SB13048
2. Book: Heywood, Ph.D., Prof. V.H. . 1978 . Flowering Plants of the world . New York . Mayflower Books . 283 and illust. p. 282 . 0-8317-3400-0.