''Commersonia'' is a genus of twenty-five species of flowering plants in the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

. Plants in this genus are shrubs or trees, occurring from Indochina to Australia and have stems, leaves and flowers covered with star-like hairs. The leaves are

simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by John ...

, often with irregularly-toothed edges, the flowers

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

with five

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s, five petals and five

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 and the fruit a capsule with five

valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, ...

. The genus underwent a revision in 2011 and some species were separated from ''Commersonia'', others were added from ''Rulingia''.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Coommersonia'' was first formally described in 1775 by

Johann Reinhold Forster Johann Reinhold Forster (; 22 October 1729 – 9 December 1798) was a German Reformed pastor and naturalist. Born in Tczew, Dirschau, Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772), Pomeranian Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Tczew, Po ...

and his son

Georg Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (; 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German geography, geographer, natural history, naturalist, ethnology, ethnologist, travel literature, travel writer, journalist and revol ...

in the book ''

Characteres generum plantarum ''Characteres generum plantarum'' (complete title , "Characteristics of the types of plants collected, described, and delineated during a voyage to islands of the South Seas, in the years 1772–1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster ...

'' and the first species they described was ''Commersonia echinata'', now known as ''

Commersonia bartramia ''Commersonia bartramia'', commonly known as brown kurrajong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is native to Southeast Asia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. It is a tree or shrub with heart-shaped ...

''. A revision of the genus in 2011 added 3 newly described species, as well as 14 species previously included in ''

Rulingia ''Rulingia '' is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia and Madagascar. In 2011, all species were transferred to ''Commersonia'' with the exception of '' Rulingia cuneata'', '' R. loxophylla'', '' R. luteiflora'' and '' R. procumbens'' w ...

'', and transferred a number of species to the newly created genus ''

Androcalva ''Androcalva'' is a genus of 33 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to continental Australia. Description Plants in the genus ''Androcalva'' are shrubs or trees and have stems, leaves and flowers covered with st ...

''. The genus is named after

Philibert Commerson Philibert Commerson (; 18 November 1727 – 14 March 1773), sometimes spelled Commerçon by contemporaries, was a French naturalist, best known for accompanying Louis Antoine de Bougainville on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1766–1769. ...

(1727–73), a French naturalist who sailed with the Bougainville expedition in 1766 and died on

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

Species list

The following is a list of species of ''Commersonia'' accepted by

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 ...

as at December 2020: *''

Commersonia amystia ''Commersonia amystia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to eastern Australia. It is a dwarf shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves that are densely covered with star-like hairs on the lower surface, and has flowe ...

'' C.F.Wilkins & L.M.Copel. (New South Wales) *''

Commersonia apella ''Commersonia apella'', commonly known as many-flowered commersonia, is a small, upright shrub in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has hairy leaves and whitish flowers. Description ''Commersonia apella'' is an uprigh ...

'' C.F.Wilkins (Western Australia) – many-flowered commersonia *''

'' ( L.)

Merr. Elmer Drew Merrill (October 15, 1876 – February 25, 1956) was an American botanist and taxonomist. He spent more than twenty years in the Philippines where he became a recognized authority on the flora of the Asia-Pacific region. Through ...

(Southeast Asia, eastern Australia) – brown kurrajong *''

Commersonia borealis ''Commersonia borealis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low growing, spreading shrub with egg-shaped to oblong leaves, and white, yellow and cream-coloured fl ...

'' (E.Pritz.) C.F.Wilkins & Whitlock (Western Australia) *''

Commersonia breviseta ''Commersonia breviseta'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to eastern Australia. It is a dwarf shrub with densely-hairy, egg-shaped to narrow elliptic leaves that are paler on the lower surface, and flowers with ...

'' C.F.Wilkins & L.M.Copel. (eastern Australia) *''

Commersonia corniculata ''Commersonia corniculata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect to prostrate shrub with 3-lobed, egg-shaped leaves, and white to cream-coloured flowers. De ...

'' (Sm.) K.A.Sheph. & C.F.Wilkins (Western Australia) *''

Commersonia corylifolia ''Commersonia corylifolia'', commonly known as hazel-leaved rulingia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a spreading, erect shrub with egg-shaped to narrowly egg-shape ...

'' (

Graham Graham or Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan ...

) C.F.Wilkins & Whitlock (Western Australia) – hazel-leaved rulingia *'' Commersonia craurophylla'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria (state), Vic ...

) F.Muell. (Western Australia) – brittle leaved rulingia *'' Commersonia dasyphylla'' Andrews (eastern Australia) – kerrawang *''

Commersonia densiflora ''Commersonia densiflora'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, low-growing shrub with pinnate, elliptic to narrowly oblong, prominently veined leaves, and wh ...

'' ( Turcz.) F.Muell. (Western Australia) *'' Commersonia erythrogyna'' C.F.Wilkins (Western Australia) – Trigwell's rulingia *''

Commersonia gilva ''Commersonia gilva'', commonly known as golden commersonia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with elliptic to oblong or egg-shaped leaves and ye ...

'' C.F.Wilkins (Western Australia) – golden commersonia *'' Commersonia grandiflora'' (

Endl. Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804 – 28 March 1849), was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. Biography Endlicher s ...

) C.F.Wilkins & Whitlock (Western Australia) *'' Commersonia hermanniifolia'' J.Gay ex

Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850) was a German botanist. He was also known as Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth. He was one of the early systematic botanists who focused on studying the plants of th ...

(New South Wales) – wrinkled kerrawang *'' Commersonia macrostipulata'' Guymer (Queensland) *'' Commersonia madagascariensis'' (

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

) C.F.Wilkins & Whitlock (Madagascar) *'' Commersonia magniflora'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell. (Northern Territory, South Australia) *'' Commersonia novoguinensis'' ( Gilli) Guymer (New Guinea) *''

Commersonia obliqua ''Commersonia obliqua'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to Vanuatu. It is a shrub or tree with lance-shaped leaves and white flowers. Description ''Commersonia obliqua'' is a shrub or tree that typically gr ...

'' Guymer (Vanuatu) *'' Commersonia parviflora'' (Endl.) F.Muell. (Western Australia) – small flowered rulingia *'' Commersonia prostrata'' (

Maiden Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

Betche Daniel Ludwig Ernst Betche (31 December 1851, in Potsdam – 28 June 1913, in Sydney) was a German-Australian horticulturist and botanist. His mother died at his birth and he was of delicate constitution all his life. His father was sufficiently ...

) C.F.Wilkins & Whitlock (New South Wales, Victoria) – dwarf kerrawang *''

Commersonia rotundifolia ''Commersonia rotundifolia'', commonly known as round-leaved rulingia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an upright, openly-branched shrub with elliptic to round le ...

'' (Turcz.) F.Muell. (Western Australia) – round-leaved rulingia *'' Commersonia rugosa'' (

Steetz Joachim Steetz (12 November 1804 – 24 March 1862) was a German botanist. His herbarium, comprising more than 5000 specimens from over 160 collectors and 30 countries was purchased in 1863 by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Muelle ...

) F.Muell. (New South Wales, Victoria) *''

Commersonia salviifolia ''Commersonia salviifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with lance-shaped leaves and white flowers in clusters of 5 to 30. Description ''Commersonia salviifol ...

'' (

Hook. Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew he ...

ex Steetz) F.Muell. (Queensland, New South Wales) *'' Commersonia tahitensis'' ( Dorr) C.F.Wilkins & Whitlock (Society Islands)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2704549 Malvaceae genera