Gnidia Explained

Gnidia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is distributed in Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, India, and Sri Lanka; more than half of all the species are endemic to South Africa.^[1] Gnidia was named for Knidos, an Ancient Greek city located in modern-day Turkey.^[2]

These are perennial herbs and shrubs, sometimes with rhizomes. Most species have alternately arranged leaves, and a few have opposite leaves. The leaves are undivided and unlobed. The inflorescence is a head of a few to many flowers. The calyx is cylindrical and the colored lobes may alternate with the petals; some species lack petals.^[2] Many species are similar in appearance and difficult to tell apart.^[3]

Molecular analyses have provided evidence that the genus is polyphyletic, made up of four different lineages. They are related to the four genera Struthiola, Drapetes, Lasiosiphon, and Pimelea.^[4]

There are 140 to 160 species classified in the genus.^{[1] [2] [5]}

Species include:

• Gnidia anthylloides
• Gnidia burchellii
• Gnidia caffra
• Gnidia capitata
• Gnidia carinata
• Gnidia chapmanii
• Gnidia chrysantha
• Gnidia chrysophylla
• Gnidia ericoides
• Gnidia fastigiata
• Gnidia humilis
• Gnidia insignis
• Gnidia involucrata
• Gnidia kraussiana
• Gnidia latifolia
• Gnidia microcephala
• Gnidia mollis
• Gnidia nana
• Gnidia ornata
• Gnidia pedunculata
• Gnidia polycephala
• Gnidia razakamalalana^[1]
• Gnidia socotrana
• Gnidia sonderiana
• Gnidia spicata
• Gnidia squarrosa
• Gnidia usafuae
• Gnidia variabilis
• Gnidia virescens
• Gnidia wickstroemiana

External links

• Species listing: Gnidia. Red List of South African Plants. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

Notes and References

1. Rogers, Z. S. (2006). A new species of Malagasy Gnidia and the lectotypification of Octolepis decalepis (Thymelaeaceae). Adansonia, sér. 3(28), 155-60.
2. Hyde, M. A., et al. Gnidia. Flora of Zimbabwe. 2013.
3. Beaumont, A. J., et al. (2001). Patterns of diversity among involucral bracts, inflorescences and flowers in Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae). Systematics and Geography of Plants 71(2), 419-31.
4. Beaumont, A. J., et al. (2009). Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae) is not monophyletic: taxonomic implications for Thymelaeoideae and a partial new generic taxonomy for Gnidia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 160(4), 402-17.
5. Bhandurge, P., et al. (2013). The Gnidia genus: A review. Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences 3(19), 1-31.