''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s belonging to the family

Melastomataceae Melastomataceae () is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs ...

. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species.

Description

Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or small trees. Their leaves are opposite and have petioles. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a terminal

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

or some modification of one. The flowers are

hypogynous In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule(s) and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the ba ...

, with a bell-shaped

hypanthium In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the Sepal, calyx, the petal, corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and cal ...

(base of the flower), usually very hairy (pubescent) on the outside. There are four or five

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s, usually dark lilac to purple, more rarely white, yellow or deep red. There are eight or ten

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s which may be all the same or in two series of different sizes. The connectives at the base of the anthers are prolonged, with two ventral lobes. The numerous seeds are borne in a dry, semiwoody capsule, and are more-or-less spiral (cochleate) in shape.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Chaetogastra'' was established by

Augustin de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss people, Swiss botany, botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple ...

in 1828. In 1885, in his treatment for ''Flora brasiliensis'',

Alfred Cogniaux Célestin Alfred Cogniaux (7 April 1841 – 15 April 1916) was a Belgian botanist. Amongst other plants, the genus '' Neocogniauxia'' of orchids is named after him. In 1916 his enormous private herbarium was acquired by the National Botani ...

used a broad concept of the genus ''

Tibouchina ''Tibouchina'' "Tibouchina." Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. Merriam Webster, 1961. is a neotropical flowering plant genus in the family Melastomataceae. Species of this genus are subshrubs, shru ...

'', transferring into it species at that time placed in many other genera, including ''Chaetogastra''. This broad concept was generally adopted subsequently, and around 470 taxa were at one time or another assigned to ''Tibouchina'', including those placed in ''Chaetogastra''. A

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis in 2013 based on molecular data (2

plastid A plastid is a membrane-bound organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. Plastids are considered to be intracellular endosymbiotic cyanobacteria. Examples of plastids include chloroplasts ...

and 1

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

regions) showed that the traditional circumscription of ''Tibouchina'' was paraphyletic. Four major

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

s were resolved within the genus, which were supported by morphological, molecular and geographic evidence. A further

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study in 2019 used the same molecular markers but included more species. It reached the same conclusion: the original broadly circumscribed ''Tibouchina'' consisted of four monophyletic clades. The authors proposed a split into four genera: a more narrowly circumscribed ''Tibouchina'', two re-established genera ''

Pleroma Pleroma (, literally "fullness") generally refers to the totality of divine powers. It is used in Christian theological contexts, as well as in Gnosticism. The term also appears in the Epistle to the Colossians, which is traditionally attributed ...

'' and ''Chaetogastra'', and a new genus, ''

Andesanthus ''Andesanthus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae, native to Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. The genus was established in 2019 for some species formerly placed in ''Tibouchina''. Some species ...

''. The part of their maximum likelihood

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

which includes former ''Tibouchina'' species is as follows, using their genus names and with shading added to show the original broadly circumscribed ''Tibouchina'' s.l. (The relationship between ''Chaetogastra'' and the genus ''

Brachyotum ''Brachyotum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae. There are about 58 species native to the Andes of South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemi ...

'' differed between analyses.) ''Chaetogastra'' is shown either to be sister to ''Andesanthus'' or to be part of a clade combining ''Chaetogastra'' and ''Brachyotum''. The authors preferred to keep these two genera separate, as they were in their

Bayesian inference Bayesian inference ( or ) is a method of statistical inference in which Bayes' theorem is used to calculate a probability of a hypothesis, given prior evidence, and update it as more information becomes available. Fundamentally, Bayesian infer ...

analysis.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: *''

Chaetogastra adenophora ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra alata ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra almedae ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra anderssonii ''Chaetogastra anderssonii'', synonym ''Tibouchina anderssonii'', is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, borde ...

'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra andreana ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra araneicalyx ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (de Santiago) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra arthrostemmoides ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra asperifolia'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra aurea'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra brittoniana'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra campii'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra capitata'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra cerastifolia'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra chamaecistus'' Griseb. *'' Chaetogastra chironioides'' Griseb. *'' Chaetogastra ciliaris'' (Vent.) DC. *'' Chaetogastra cisplatensis'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra cistoides'' Griseb. *'' Chaetogastra citrina'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra clinopodifolia'' DC. *'' Chaetogastra confertiflora'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra congestiflora'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra connata'' (Gleason ex Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra cordeiroi'' F.S.Mey. & R.Goldenb. *'' Chaetogastra cornuta'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra crassifolia'' F.S.Mey. & R.Goldenb. *'' Chaetogastra cristaensis'' F.S.Mey. & R.Goldenb. *'' Chaetogastra debilis'' Cham. *'' Chaetogastra decora'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra dimorphylla'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra durangensis'' (Standl.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra echinata'' (Ruiz & Pav.) DC. *'' Chaetogastra erioclada'' (Triana) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra excoriata ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra ferrariana'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra fulvipilis'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra galeottiana'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra gayana'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra geitneriana'' Schltdl. *'' Chaetogastra gracilis'' (Bonpl.) DC. *'' Chaetogastra grossa'' (L.f.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra hassleri'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra herbacea'' (DC.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra herincquiana'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra herzogii ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra hieracioides'' DC. *'' Chaetogastra hintonii'' (Gleason ex Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra hutchisonii ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra incarum'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra kingii'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra kunhardtii'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra laevis'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra lancifolia'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra latebracteolata'' (Paul G.Wilson) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra latifolia ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra laxa'' (Desr.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra longifolia'' (Vahl) DC. *'' Chaetogastra longipilosa'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra longisepala'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra longistyla'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra macvaughii'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra mariae'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra membranifolia'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra minor'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra mollis ''Chaetogastra mollis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae, native to western South America (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). It was first described by Aimé Bonpland as ''Rhexia mollis'' in part of ''Monographia Melastoma ...

'' (DC.) DC. *'' Chaetogastra monticola'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra nanifolia'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra naudiniana'' Decne. *'' Chaetogastra nitida'' (Graham) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra obtusifolia'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra oligantha'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra orbignyana'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra oroensis'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra panicularis'' Naudin *'' Chaetogastra paratropica'' (Griseb.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra parviflora'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra patens'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra pauciflora'' P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra pendula'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra pentamera'' (Ule) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra pleromoides'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra pulcherrima'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra purpurascens'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra purpusii'' (Brandegee) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra repens'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra rhynchantherifolia'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra riograndensis'' F.S.Mey. *'' Chaetogastra rojasii'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra roseotincta'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra rufipilis'' (Schltdl.) Walp. *'' Chaetogastra rupestris'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra rusbyi'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra sandiensis'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra saxicola'' (F.S.Mey., P.J.F.Guim. & R.Goldenb.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra saxosa'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra scabriuscula'' (Schltdl.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra schiedeana'' (Schltdl. & Cham.) Walp. *'' Chaetogastra sebastianopolitana'' (Raddi) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra sericea'' (de Santiago) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra simplicicaulis'' (Naudin) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra sinaloensis'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra solmsii'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra stenopetala'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra stenophylla ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra tetrapetala'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra thulia'' (Todzia) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra tortuosa'' (Bonpl.) DC. *'' Chaetogastra triflora'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *''

Chaetogastra trinitensis ''Chaetogastra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae. Its native range is South America and North America. It contains around 115 species. Description Species of ''Chaetogastra'' are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or ...

'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra urbanii'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra venosa'' (Gleason) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra versicolor'' (Lindl.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra violacea'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra wasshausenii'' (Wurdack) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. *'' Chaetogastra weberbaueri'' (Cogn.) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang.

Distribution and habitat

The species of ''Chaetogastra'' are native from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

through

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

into the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. They are also found in eastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The Andes are the centre of diversity. Most are found in cloud forests above 1,000 m elevation, although some herbaceous species are found in open areas above 100 m.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q42808113 Melastomataceae genera