''Thespesia'' 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 ...

of 13

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

shrubs and

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 in the ''

Hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of 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), gras ...

'' family,

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar o ...

, although within the family they are more closely related to cotton plants (''

Gossypium ''Gossypium'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Gossypieae of the mallow family, Malvaceae, from which cotton is harvested. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New Worlds. There are about 50 ''Gossypi ...

''). The genus is distributed from the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

through Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Selected species

*'' Thespesia beatensis'' (Urb.) Fryxell ( Beata Island,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

) *'' Thespesia acutiloba'' (Baker f.) Exell & Mendonça *''

Thespesia cubensis ''Thespesia cubensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found only in Cuba. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natura ...

'' (Britton & P.Wilson) J.B.Hutch. (

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

) *'' Thespesia danis'' Oliv. (eastern Africa) *'' Thespesia fissicalyx'' Borss.Waalk. *''

Thespesia garckeana ''Thespesia garckeana'' (also known by its synonym ''Azanza garckeana'') is a tree in the family Malvaceae, found throughout the warmer parts of Southern Africa in wooded grasslands, open woodland and thickets. It grows naturally over a range o ...

'' F.Hoffm. (Southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

) *''

Thespesia grandiflora ''Thespesia grandiflora'' is a tree in the family Malvaceae of the rosids clade. Its common name is maga. This tree is widely distributed throughout Puerto Rico where it is endemic.DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

- Maga (

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

) *''

Thespesia gummiflua ''Thespesia'' is a genus of 13 flowering shrubs and trees in the ''Hibiscus'' family, Malvaceae, although within the family they are more closely related to cotton plants (''Gossypium''). The genus is distributed from the South Pacific through ...

'' Capuron *''

Thespesia mossambicensis ''Thespesia mossambicensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, ...

'' Exell & Hillcoat (

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

) *''

Thespesia multibracteata ''Thespesia'' is a genus of 13 flowering shrubs and trees in the ''Hibiscus'' family, Malvaceae, although within the family they are more closely related to cotton plants (''Gossypium''). The genus is distributed from the South Pacific through ...

'' Borss.Waalk. *''

Thespesia patellifera ''Thespesia'' is a genus of 13 flowering shrubs and trees in the ''Hibiscus'' family, Malvaceae, although within the family they are more closely related to cotton plants (''Gossypium''). The genus is distributed from the South Pacific through ...

'' Borss.Waalk. *''

Thespesia populnea ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

'' (L.) Sol. ex Corrêa - Portia tree (

Pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and '' Bacopa''. '' Neotropical'' is a zoogeographic t ...

) *'' Thespesia populneoides'' (Roxb.) Kostel.

References

External links

*
Thespesia populnea
at Australian native hibiscus and hibiscus like species. * Malvaceae genera {{Gossypieae-stub