''Meliosma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

; some botanists take a much more conservative view accepting only 20-25 species as distinct. They are

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 or shrubs, growing to 10–45 m tall.

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

evidence shows the genus formerly had a much wider range in the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and central Asia until the late

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

s, and somewhat earlier in North America. Meliosma symbolises Peruvian

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

plants which, once did not have even a single species of Sabiaceae. Now,at least 17 species of Meliosma are known from

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The

Indian awlking ''Choaspes benjaminii'',Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera - page on genu/ref>TOL web page on genu''Choaspes''/ref>also known as the Indian awlking or common awlking, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. The species is named ...

(''Choaspes benjaminii'') is one of the Lepidoptera whose caterpillars feed on ''Meliosma''; they have been found on '' M. pungens'', '' rhoifolia'', '' M. rigida'', and '' M. squamulata''.

Selected species

Asia * '' Meliosma angustifolia'' * '' Meliosma arnottiana'' (syn. ''Wellingtonia arnottiana'') * '' Meliosma beaniana'' * '' Meliosma bifida'' * '' Meliosma callicarpaefolia'' * '' Meliosma cuneifolia'' * ''

Meliosma dentata ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma dilleniifolia ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma dumicola ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * '' Meliosma flexuosa'' * ''

Meliosma fordii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma glandulosa ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma henryi ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

'' * ''

Meliosma kirkii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

'' * ''

Meliosma laui ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma longipes ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma myriantha ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

'' * ''

Meliosma oldhamii ''Meliosma oldhamii'' is a species of deciduous tree in the family Sabiaceae, which grows up to 20 meters in height. It has a narrow crown when young, and it becomes more wide-spreading with age. It is endemic to China, Japan Japan ( ...

'' * ''

Meliosma parviflora ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma paupera ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma pinnata ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

'' * '' Meliosma pungens'' * '' Meliosma rhoifolia'' * ''

Meliosma rigida ''Meliosma rigida'', the stiff-leaved meliosma, is a species of flowering plant in the family Sabiaceae. It is native to Laos, Vietnam, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Philippines. Subtaxa The following varieties are ...

'' * '' Meliosma simplicifolia'' * '' Meliosma squamulata'' * ''

Meliosma sumatrana ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma thomsonii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma thorelii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * '' Meliosma veitchiorum'' * ''

Meliosma velutina ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * '' Meliosma yunnanensis'' Americas * ''

Meliosma alba ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

'' * †''

Meliosma beusekomii ''Meliosma beusekomii'' is an extinct species of '' Meliosma'' from the middle Eocene (44 Ma) Clarno Formation of central Oregon. References Cenozoic plants beusekomii Clarno Formation {{paleobotany-stub ...

'' * ''

Meliosma bogotana ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma brasiliensis ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' Urb. * ''

Meliosma cordata ''Meliosma cordata'' is a species of plant in the Sabiaceae family. It is endemic to Panama. General information The tree is 3-6 meters tall, with branchlets covered with fine hairs that grows into large scattered pale lenticels. The leaves ...

'' * ''

Meliosma frondosa ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma glaziovii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma herbertii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma itatiaiae ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma linearifolia ''Meliosma linearifolia'' is a species of plant in the Sabiaceae family. It is endemic to Panama. It is threatened by habitat loss. References Flora of Panama linearifolia Endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot ...

'' * ''

Meliosma littlei ''Meliosma littlei'' is a species of plant in the Sabiaceae family. It is endemic to Ecuador. References Flora of Ecuador littlei Endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{eudicot-stub ...

'' * ''

Meliosma meridensis ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma nesites ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists take a ...

'' * ''

Meliosma sellowii ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma sinuata ''Meliosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sabiaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. It is traditionally considered to contain about 100 species; some botanists ta ...

'' * ''

Meliosma sirensis ''Meliosma sirensis'' is a species of plant in the Sabiaceae family. It is endemic to Peru. References Flora of Peru sirensis Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{eudicot-stub ...

'' * ''

Meliosma vernicosa ''Meliosma vernicosa'' is a tropical tree in the family '' Sabiaceae''. It is a canopy tree of the cloud forest that reaches 20 to 25 meters tall. It prefers elevations of 1500 to 1700 meters. It is found in Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ...

'' * ''

Meliosma youngii ''Meliosma youngii'' is a species of plant in the Sabiaceae family. It is endemic to Peru. References Flora of Peru youngii Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{eudicot-stub ...

Fossil record

endocarp Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. A ...

s from the early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

of '' Meliosma wetteraviensis'', have been found in the Czech part of the

Zittau Zittau ( hsb, Žitawa, dsb, Žytawa, pl, Żytawa, cs, Žitava, Upper Lusatian Dialect: ''Sitte''; from Slavic "''rye''" (Upper Sorbian and Czech: ''žito'', Lower Sorbian: ''žyto'', Polish: ''żyto'')) is the southeasternmost city in the Ger ...

Basin.

Stratigraphical Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrati ...

range of this taxon is from the late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...

. Acta Palaeobotanica - 43(1): 9-49, January 2003 - Early Miocene carpological material from the Czech part of the Zittau Basin - Vasilis Teodoridis

Footnotes

References

* (1971): Revision of ''Meliosma'' (Sabiaceae), section ''Lorenzanea'' excepted, living and fossil, geography and phylogeny. ''Blumea'' 19: 355–529.

External links

Flora of Pakistan: ''Meliosma''Flora of China: ''Meliosma'' species listFlora of Ecuador: ''Meliosma''IAC Herbarium (Brazil): ''Meliosma'' species list
Eudicot genera {{eudicot-stub