Rayleya

''Ayenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It includes 216 species of subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas.Whitlock, B. A., & Hale, A. M. (2011)
The phylogeny of ''Ayenia'', ''Byttneria'', and ''Rayleya'' (Malvaceae ''s.l.'') and its implications for the evolution of growth forms.
''Systematic Botany'', 36(1), 129-136. They are native to the tropical Americas and southwestern United States, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia.

Description

''Ayenia'' includes subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas. The genus is distinguished by its tiny yet extraordinarily complex flowers.

Ecology

Species of ''Ayenia'' grow in diverse habitats, from open areas in dry and seasonally-dry regions to humid forests, river banks, and from lowlands to high elevations.

''Byttneria'' species are host plants to insects such as beetles of the genus '' Lonchophorellus''.

Taxonomy

''Ayenia'', ''Byttneria'', and ''Rayleya'' were formerly described as separate genera, with ''Ayenia'' having a Neotropical distribution, ''Byttneria'' as a Pantropical genus, and ''Rayleya'' as a monotypic genus with a single Brazilian species, ''Rayleya bahiensis''. A phylogenetic analysis found that ''Byttneria'' was paraphyletic and ''Ayenia'' was nested within it, and ''Rayleya'' was a sister clade to the others. In 2018 Christenhusz and Byng transferred the ''Byttneria'' and ''Rayleya'' names to ''Ayenia'', which had nomenclatural priority.Dorr, L.J. 2023. New combinations in Ayenia (Malvaceae, Byttnerioideae) for the flora of Ecuador. ''Phytoneuron'' 2023-04: 1– 5. Published 17 February 2023. ISSN 2153-733X

Species

217 species are currently accepted. Selected species include:

*''Ayenia abutilifolia''
*''Ayenia abutiloides''
*''Ayenia acalyphifolia''
*''Ayenia aculeata''
*''Ayenia acuminata''
*''Ayenia aemulata''
*''Ayenia affinis''
*''Ayenia albiflora''
*''Ayenia aliculata''
*''Ayenia ambongensis''
*''Ayenia ancistrodonta''
*''Ayenia andamensis''
*''Ayenia angulata''
*''Ayenia angustifolia''
*''Ayenia aprica''
*''Ayenia ardua'' Cristóbal – Wingstem ayenia
*''Ayenia arenesii''
*''Ayenia aristeguietae''
*''Ayenia asplundii'' – Ecuador and Peru
*''Ayenia asterotricha''
*''Ayenia atrata''
*''Ayenia attenuatifolia''
*''Ayenia aurantiaca''
*''Ayenia australis''
*''Ayenia bahiensis''
*''Ayenia baronii''
*''Ayenia beccarii''
*''Ayenia benensis''
*''Ayenia berlandieri''
*''Ayenia bernieri''
*''Ayenia besalampensis''
*''Ayenia beyrichiana''
*''Ayenia biloba''
*''Ayenia blanchetiana''
*'' Ayenia boliviana''
*''Ayenia byttnerioides''
*''Ayenia cajalbanensis''
*''Ayenia campicola''
*''Ayenia capillata''
*''Ayenia caripensis''
*''Ayenia catalpifolia''
*''Ayenia celebica''
*''Ayenia celtoides''
*''Ayenia compacta'' Rose – California ayenia
*''Ayenia conciliata''
*''Ayenia corchorifolia''
*''Ayenia cordata''
*''Ayenia cordobensis''
*''Ayenia coriacea''
*''Ayenia corylifolia''
*''Ayenia crenulata''
*''Ayenia cristobaliana''
*''Ayenia crotonoides''
*''Ayenia cuatrecasasii''
*''Ayenia cubensis''
*''Ayenia curtisii''
*''Ayenia dahomensis''
*''Ayenia decaryana''
*'' Ayenia dentata''
*''Ayenia divaricata''
*''Ayenia donatica''
*''Ayenia ekmanii''
*''Ayenia elegans''
*''Ayenia eliae''
*''Ayenia elliptica''
*''Ayenia ellipticifolia''
*''Ayenia erecta''
*''Ayenia erosa''
*''Ayenia euphrasiifolia'' Griseb. – Eyebright ayenia
*'' Ayenia fasiculata''
*''Ayenia fernandesii''
*''Ayenia filiformis'' S.Watson – Trans-Pecos ayenia
*''Ayenia filipes''
*''Ayenia flaccida''
*''Ayenia flexuosa'' – Ecuador
*''Ayenia fluvialis''
*''Ayenia fontis''
*'' Ayenia fruticosa''
*''Ayenia fulva''
*''Ayenia gayana''
*''Ayenia geminifolia''
*''Ayenia genistella''
*'' Ayenia glabra'' S.Watson – Smooth ayenia
*'' Ayenia glabrescens''
*''Ayenia glazioui''
*''Ayenia gracilipes''
*''Ayenia grandifolia''
*''Ayenia grisea''
*''Ayenia guineensis''
*''Ayenia hatschbachii''
*''Ayenia herbacea''
*''Ayenia heteromorpha''
*''Ayenia heterophylla''
*''Ayenia hirsuta''
*'' Ayenia hirta''
*''Ayenia humbertiana''
*''Ayenia idroboi''
*''Ayenia implicabilis''
*''Ayenia incallida''
*'' Ayenia insulicola'' Cristóbal – Dwarf ayenia
*''Ayenia integrifolia''
*'' Ayenia irwinii''
*''Ayenia ivorensis''
*''Ayenia jackiana''
*''Ayenia jaculifolia''
*''Ayenia jaliscana''
*''Ayenia jaramilloana''
*''Ayenia jussieui''
*''Ayenia juzepczukii''
*''Ayenia klugii''
*''Ayenia krapovickasii''
*''Ayenia laevigata''
*''Ayenia lancifolia''
*''Ayenia lasiophylla''
*''Ayenia latifolia''
*''Ayenia latipetala''
*''Ayenia limitaris'' Cristóbal – Rio Grande ayenia, Texas ayenia
*''Ayenia lingulata''
*''Ayenia lobata''
*''Ayenia lopez-mirandae''
*''Ayenia loxensis''
*''Ayenia lucida''
*''Ayenia luyensis''
*''Ayenia macrantha''
*''Ayenia macrophylla''
*''Ayenia magna''
*''Ayenia maingayi''
*''Ayenia mansfeldiana''
*''Ayenia mastatalensis''
*''Ayenia mastersii''
*''Ayenia melantha''
*''Ayenia melastomifolia''
*''Ayenia melleri''
*''Ayenia micrantha''
*''Ayenia microphylla'' A.Gray – Dense ayenia, shrubby ayenia
*''Ayenia minytricha''
*''Ayenia mirandae''
*''Ayenia morifolia''
*''Ayenia morii''
*''Ayenia nervosa''
*''Ayenia nitidula''
*''Ayenia noblickii''
*''Ayenia nossibeensis''
*''Ayenia nummularia''
*''Ayenia obcordata''
*''Ayenia obliqua''
*''Ayenia oblongata''
*''Ayenia oblongifolia''
*''Ayenia obtusata''
*''Ayenia odonellii''
*''Ayenia oligantha''
*''Ayenia oranensis''
*''Ayenia ostenii''
*''Ayenia ovata''
*''Ayenia ovatifolia''
*''Ayenia palmeri''
*''Ayenia palustris''
*''Ayenia paniculata''
*'' Ayenia parviflora''
*''Ayenia pedersenii''
*''Ayenia peninsularis''
*''Ayenia peregrina''
*''Ayenia perrieri''
*''Ayenia pescapraeifolia''
*''Ayenia petiolata''
*''Ayenia pilosa'' Cristóbal – Hairy ayenia
*''Ayenia piresii''
*''Ayenia praecipua''
*''Ayenia praeclara''
*''Ayenia purpusii''
*''Ayenia pusilla''
*''Ayenia ramosissima''
*''Ayenia reinwardtii''
*''Ayenia rhamnifolia''
*''Ayenia rojasii''
*''Ayenia rotundifolia''
*''Ayenia rubriflora''
*''Ayenia sagasteguii''
*''Ayenia sagittifolia''
*''Ayenia saligna''
*''Ayenia sambiranensis''
*''Ayenia scabra''
*''Ayenia scabrida''
*''Ayenia scalpellata''
*''Ayenia schumanniana''
*''Ayenia schumannii''
*''Ayenia schunkei''
*''Ayenia scorpiura''
*''Ayenia sidifolia''
*''Ayenia simulatrix''
*''Ayenia sparrei''
*''Ayenia spinosa''
*''Ayenia spinulosa''
*''Ayenia standleyi''
*''Ayenia stenophylla''
*''Ayenia stipularis''
*''Ayenia subsessilis''
*''Ayenia subtilis''
*''Ayenia tenuicaulis''
*''Ayenia tomentosa''
*''Ayenia tortilis''
*''Ayenia triadenia''
*''Ayenia truncata''
*''Ayenia tucumanensis''
*''Ayenia uaupensis''
*''Ayenia urosepala''
*''Ayenia urticifolia''
*''Ayenia vargasii''
*''Ayenia velutina''
*''Ayenia violacea''
*''Ayenia virgata''
*''Ayenia vitifolia''
*''Ayenia voulily''
*''Ayenia weberbaueri''
*''Ayenia wrightii''
*''Ayenia wygodzinskyi''
*''Ayenia xochipilliae''

References

External links

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Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile

{{Authority control

Byttnerioideae
Malvaceae genera
Flora of the Afrotropical realm
Flora of the Indomalayan realm
Flora of the Neotropical realm
Plants described in 1756
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus