''Irenodendron'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of three

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of shrubs and

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s in the willow family Salicaceae native to northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. These species were previously treated as a section of the genus ''

Laetia ''Laetia'' is a genus of plants in the family Salicaceae (formerly placed in Flacourtiaceae The Flacourtiaceae is a defunct family of flowering plants whose former members have been scattered to various families, mostly to the Achariaceae and S ...

'' in the family Flacourtiaceae, but the genus ''

'' and its relatives were moved to the Salicaceae based on analyses of DNA data. ''Irenodendron'' was later hypothesized to be more closely related to the genera '' Ryania'', '' Trichostephanus'', and ''

Piparea ''Piparea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Salicaceae The Salicaceae is the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') included the willows, poplar, aspen, and cottonwoods ...

'' due to the presence of an apically divided style, and

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

with dark heartwood and large rays; it differs from those genera in having cup-shaped bracts under the flowers and in lacking

staminodes In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & C ...

References

Salicaceae Flora of Southern America Salicaceae genera {{Salicaceae-stub