Thomandersia Explained

Thomandersia is the sole genus in the Thomandersiaceae, an African family of flowering plants. Thomandersia is a genus of shrubs and small trees, with six species native to Central and West Africa.

Thomandersia traditionally has been classified within the family Acanthaceae based on morphology by several authors, including APG I 1998, APG II 2003, and in Schlegeliaceae at APG Website Missouri Botanical Garden, in a list of genera of this family, but Stevens argues further that should be considered out of this taxon by weak support and regarded Thomandersiaceae.^[1]

The genus was elevated to family status, previously by Sreemadhavan 1976 ^[2] and 1977 ^[3] on the basis of leaf anatomy and anther morphology, and more recently by Wortley et al. 2005 ^[4] and 2007,^[5] based on phylogenetic analyses of genetic material.

The genus was described with this name in 1892 by French botanist Henri Ernest Baillon.^{[6] [7]}

Species

The genus includes the following species:^[8]

• Thomandersia anachoreta Heine - Liberia, Ivory Coast
• Thomandersia butayei De Wild. - Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Thomandersia congolana De Wild. & T. Durand - Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea
• Thomandersia hensii De Wild. & T. Durand - from Nigeria to Angola
• Thomandersia laurentii De Wild. - Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Thomandersia laurifolia (T. Anderson ex Benth.) Baill. - Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea

Notes and References

1. Web site: Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website Version 7, May 2006. Missouri Botanical Garden. 2007-08-09.
2. Sreemadhavan, C. P. (1976). Leaf architecture and systematics of Acanthaceae and related families. Ph.D. thesis. Tampa, FL:University of South Florida.
3. Sreemadhavan, C. P. (1977). Diagnosis of some new taxa and some new combinations in Bignoniales. Phytologia 37: 413–416.
4. Wortley, A.H., Rudall, P. J., & Scotland, R.W. (2005). How much data are needed to resolve a difficult phylogeny? Case study in Lamiales. Systematic Biology 54: 697–709.
5. Wortley, A.H.. Harris, D.J. & Scotland, R.W. . On the Taxonomy and Phylogenetic Position of Thomandersia.. Systematic Botany . 32. 2. 2007. 415–444. 10.1600/036364407781179716. Harris. D. J.. Scotland. R. W.. 85726050 .
6. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28547707#page/459/mode/1up Baillon, Henri Ernest. 1892. Histoire des Plantes 10: 456
7. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40013494 Tropicos, Thomandersia Baill.
8. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=320866 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families