''Stenaria'' 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 Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...

. It is a small genus, consisting of around six species native to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, and

The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the arc ...

. All species of ''Stenaria'' are restricted to Mexico and the southwestern United States, except for the wide-ranging ''Stenaria nigricans'' which extends northward and eastward. ''Stenaria'' are herbaceous perennials or low shrubs. Flowers are produced in cymes, and can be white, purple, or pink. ''Stenaria'' can be morphologically distinguished from the similar genus ''Hedyotis'' by its non-crateriform seeds. ''Stenaria'' was first recognized as a genus in 2001. It comprises species formerly classified as ''

Hedyotis ''Hedyotis'' (starviolet) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. Many species of this genus such as ''Hedyotis biflora, H. corymbosa'' and ''H. diffusa'' are well known medicinal plants. ''Hedyotis'' is native to tropical a ...

'' or '' Houstonia''.

Species

* '' Stenaria butterwickiae'' * '' Stenaria mullerae'' * '' Stenaria nigricans'' * '' Stenaria rupicola'' * '' Stenaria sanchezii'' * '' Stenaria umbratilis''

References

Rubiaceae genera {{Rubioideae-stub