''Mesua'' 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 in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Calophyllaceae Calophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales and is recognized by the APG III system of classification. Most of the 14 genera and 475 species included in this family were previously recognized in the tribe Caloph ...

,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards).

Angiosperm Phylogeny Website The Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (or APweb) is a website that presents up-to-date research on the phylogeny and taxonomy of flowering plants (angiosperms) in what is intended to be a user-friendly way. The site is hosted by the Missouri Botanical ...

. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Common names include

ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is denser than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English ma ...

(shared with many other plants) and rose chestnut. They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s or small

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s growing to 13 m tall, with leaves arranged in opposite pairs.

Species

According to ''

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 ...

'', ten species are currently accepted:''Mesua'' L.
''

''. Retrieved 26 May 2023. * ''

Mesua clemensiorum ''Mesua'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern Asia. Common names inc ...

'' Kosterm. – Vietnam * ''

Mesua ferrea ''Mesua ferrea'', the Ceylon ironwood, or cobra saffron, is a species in the family Calophyllaceae native to the Indomalayan realm. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber. It is widely cultivated as an o ...

'' L. – India and Sri Lanka to Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Java, and the Philippines * ''

Mesua kochummeniana ''Mesua'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern Asia. Common names inc ...

'' Whitmore – Peninsular Malaysia * ''

Mesua nivenii ''Mesua nivenii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Calophyllaceae. It is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the w ...

'' Whitmore – Peninsular Malaysia * '' Mesua nuda'' Kosterm. ex Whitmore – Peninsular Malaysia * ''

Mesua planigemma ''Mesua'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern Asia. Common names inc ...

'' Kosterm. – Borneo * ''

Mesua pulchella ''Mesua'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern Asia. Common names inc ...

'' Planch. & Triana – southwestern Sri Lanka * ''

Mesua purseglovei ''Mesua purseglovei'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Calophyllaceae. It is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs whe ...

'' Whitmore – Peninsular Malaysia * ''

Mesua pustulata ''Mesua'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern Asia. Common names inc ...

'' (Ridl.) P.S.Ashton – Borneo * ''

Mesua thwaitesii ''Mesua thwaitesii'', is a plant species in the family Calophyllaceae. It is native to Sri Lanka and southwestern India.Kayea daphnifolia ''Kayea daphnifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Calophyllaceae. It is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is t ...

'' * ''Mesua manii'' (King) Kosterm., synonym of ''

Kayea manii ''Kayea manii'' is a species of flowering plant in the Calophyllaceae family. It is found only on South Andaman Island in India. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs whe ...

'' * ''Mesua rosea'' (Ridl.) Kosterm., synonym of '' Kayea rosea'' * ''

Mesua stylosa ''Mesua stylosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the Calophyllaceae family. It is a tree endemic to southwestern Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an ...

'' (Thwaites) Kosterm., synonym of ''Kayea stylosa'' * '' Mesua wrayi'' (King) Kosterm., synonym of ''Kayea wrayi''

References

Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Mesua''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3237856 Malpighiales genera