''Ritchiea'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s belonging to the family Capparaceae. Its native range is

Tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with hot moist climates, which are caused by latitude and the tropi ...

. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda Province, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Island, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre and Zimbabwe. The genus name of ''Ritchiea'' is in honour of

Joseph Ritchie Doctor Joseph Ritchie (c. 1788 – 20 November 1819) was an English surgeon, explorer and naturalist. His primary interest lay in the natural sciences, though he is best known for playing a minor role in the British exploration of Africa. Lif ...

(c. 1788 – 1819), an English surgeon, explorer and naturalist. It was first described and published in Gen. Hist. Vol.1 on page 276 in 1831.

Known species

According to Kew: *'' Ritchiea afzelii'' *'' Ritchiea agelaeifolia'' *'' Ritchiea albersii'' *'' Ritchiea aprevaliana'' *'' Ritchiea boukokoensis'' *'' Ritchiea capparoides'' *'' Ritchiea carrissoi'' *'' Ritchiea erecta'' *'' Ritchiea gossweileri'' *'' Ritchiea jansii'' *'' Ritchiea littoralis'' *'' Ritchiea macrantha'' *'' Ritchiea mayumbensis'' *'' Ritchiea noldeae'' *'' Ritchiea ovata'' *'' Ritchiea pygmaea'' *'' Ritchiea quarrei'' *'' Ritchiea reflexa'' *'' Ritchiea simplicifolia'' *'' Ritchiea spragueana'' *'' Ritchiea wilczekiana'' *'' Ritchiea wittei'' *'' Ritchiea youngii''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5858057 Capparaceae Brassicales genera Plants described in 1831 Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa Flora of East Tropical Africa Flora of South Tropical Africa