Hillia (plant) explained

Hillia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It has 24 species,^[1] all of which are native to the Neotropics.^[2]

Taxonomy

Hillia was named by Nicolaus Jacquin in 1760.^{[3] [4]} It was named for the English botanist John Hill (1716-1775).^[5] Jacquin named only one species, Hillia parasitica. It has been suggested that the specific epithet as well as the generic name might well be a reference to John Hill.

Some authors have placed five of the species in a separate genus, Ravnia. A cladistic analysis of morphological characters found Ravnia to be embedded within Hillia. This hypothesis has not been tested with molecular data.

The genera Hillia, Balmea, and Cosmibuena form a monophyletic group. Some authors have designated this group as the tribe Hillieae, but it might be embedded within another tribe, Hamelieae.^[6]

Species

The following species list may be incomplete or contain synonyms.

• Hillia macrophylla Standley
• Hillia parasitica Jacquin
• Hillia rivalis C.M. Taylor
• Hillia triflora (Oersted) C.M. Taylor

Description

Most of the species are slightly succulent epiphytes or small trees. A few are subshrubs or lianas. Hillia rivalis is a rheophyte. The tissues of all the species contain raphides. The capsules have a beak-like appendage.^[7]

Uses

Hillia triflora is cultivated as an ornamental plant.^[8]

External links

• Hillia Search Page World Checklist of Rubiaceae Index by Team Projects Science Directory Scientific Research and Data Kew Gardens
• Hillia Plant Names IPNI
• Hillia, page 3 Hillia, page 18 Enumeratio systematica plantarum Titles Botanicus
• CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: D-L Botany & Plant Science Life Science CRC Press
• Hillia List of Genera Rubiaceae List of families Families and Genera in GRIN Queries GRIN taxonomy for plants
• Hillia Hillieae Cinchonoideae Rubiaceae Embryophyta Streptophytina Streptophyta Viridiplantae Eudaryota Taxonomy UniProt

Notes and References

1. Hillia At: World Checklist of Rubiaceae At: Kew Gardens Website. (see External links below).
2. David J. Mabberley. 2008. Mabberley's Plant-Book third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK.
3. Hillia in International Plant Names Index. (see External links below).
4. Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin. 1760. Enumeratio systematica plantarum, quas in insulis Caribaeis vicinaque Americes continente detexit nouas, aut iam cognitas emandauit pages 3 and 18. (see External links below).
5. Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume II. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington,DC;, USA. London, UK. (vol. II). (see External links below).
6. Ulrika Manns and Birgitta Bremer. 2010. "Towards a better understanding of intertribal relationships and stable tribal delimitations within Cinchonoideae s.s. (Rubiaceae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56(1):21-39.
7. Charlotte M. Taylor. 1994. "Revision of Hillia (Rubiaceae)". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 81(4):571-609.
8. Anthony J. Huxley, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (editors). 1992. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London; The Stockton Press, New York. (set)