''Macleania'' is a genus of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae () are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with about 4,250 known species spread acros ...

Description

They are epiphytic or terrestrial shrubs. Alternate leaves, petiolate, coriaceous, pinnatinervias or plinervias. Subfasciculate or racemose inflorescences, axillary or terminal, with few to numerous flowers, bibracteolate pedicels, deciduous bracteoles; hypanthium articulated with the pedicel, cylindrical or campanulate; calyx limb erect and patent, (3–) 5-lobed, lobes subacute and triangular; corolla subcylindrical or elongated urceolate, 5-parted, triangular lobes, acute to subacute; stamens usually 10, equal, usually about half as long as corolla, filaments free or connate, anthers strong with strongly granular thecae, tubules nearly as long as anther sacs, or laterally connate or fused to form a tubule simple, rarely completely free, opening by elongated free or fused slits, introrse; style threadlike and about the same length as the corolla or longer, ovary 5-locular. The fruit is a berry with numerous small seeds.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by

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

and published in ''Icones Plantarum'' 2:t. 109. 1837, based on a specimen brought from Peru. Johann Friedrich Klotzsch identified ten species in 1851. Later Hooker separated Psammisia from Macleania. Oscar Drude (1891) and William Wright Smith (1942), as well as other botanists, pointed out the remarkable nature of this genus and its relationship with Psammisia. ''Macleania'' was named for John Maclean (1786-1857), a Scottish merchant who exported plants from Lima, Peru.The Weekly Standard and Express (Blackburn, Lancashire, England). 30 Sep 1857, Wed. Page 3 Species include:

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2688043 Ericaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot