Ayenia

Ayenia
	Ayenia compacta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Subfamily:	Byttnerioideae
Tribe:	Byttnerieae
Genus:	Ayenia; L. (1756)
Species
	216; See text.
Synonyms
	Buettneria L. (1774); Byttneria Loefl. (1758); Chaetaea Jacq. (1760); Cybiostigma Turcz. (1852); Dayena Adans. (1763), nom. illeg.; Dayena Monier ex Mill. (1756); Heterophyllum Bojer ex Hook. (1830), not validly publ.; Lorentzia Hieron. (1881), nom. illeg.; Nephropetalum B.L.Rob. & Greenm. (1896); Pentaceros G.Mey. (1818); Rayleya Cristóbal (1981); Telfairia F.Newman ex Hook. (1830), not validly publ.; Watsonia Boehm. (1760), nom. superfl.;

Ayenia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It includes 216 species^[2] of subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas.^[3] They are native to the tropical Americas and southwestern United States, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia.^[2]

Description

Ayenia includes subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and lianas. The genus is distinguished by its tiny yet extraordinarily complex flowers.^[3]

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.^[3]

Byttneria species are host plants to insects such as beetles of the genus Lonchophorellus.^[4]

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.^[3] In 2018 Christenhusz and Byng transferred the Byttneria and Rayleya names to Ayenia, which had nomenclatural priority.^[5]

Selected species

216 species are currently accepted.^[2] Selected species include:

Ayenia acuminata Rusby
Ayenia aliculata Cristóbal
Ayenia angustifolia A.St.-Hil. & Naudin
Ayenia ardua Cristóbal – Wingstem ayenia
Ayenia asplundii (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng – Ecuador and Peru
Ayenia bahiensis (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia blanchetiana K.Schum.
Ayenia boliviana Rusby
Ayenia cajalbanensis Alain
Ayenia compacta Rose – California ayenia
Ayenia cordobensis (Hieron.) Hieron.
Ayenia cuatrecasasii Cristóbal
Ayenia dentata Brandegee
Ayenia elegans (Ridl.) ined.
Ayenia erecta Mart. ex K.Schum.
Ayenia euphrasifolia Griseb. – Eyebright ayenia
Ayenia fasiculata Millsp. ex Standl.
Ayenia filiformis S.Watson – Trans-Pecos ayenia
Ayenia flexuosa (Killip) Christenh. & Byng – Ecuador
Ayenia fruticosa Rose
Ayenia glabra S.Watson – Smooth ayenia
Ayenia glabrescens K.Schum.
Ayenia hirta A.St.-Hil. & Naudin
Ayenia insulicola Cristóbal – Dwarf ayenia
Ayenia ivorensis (N.Hallé) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia jaliscana S.Watson

Ayenia jaramilloana (Dorr) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia latifolia Cristóbal
Ayenia limitaris Cristóbal – Rio Grande ayenia, Texas ayenia
Ayenia lingulata Griseb.
Ayenia loxensis (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia mansfeldiana (Herter) Cristóbal
Ayenia micrantha Standl.
Ayenia microphylla A.Gray – Dense ayenia, shrubby ayenia
Ayenia minytricha (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia noblickii Cristóbal
Ayenia obtusata (Benth.) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia odonellii Cristóbal
Ayenia ovata Hemsl.
Ayenia palmeri A.Gray
Ayenia pilosa Cristóbal – Hairy ayenia
Ayenia purpusii Brandegee
Ayenia pusilla L.
Ayenia schumanniana Kuntze
Ayenia simulatrix Cristóbal
Ayenia sparrei (Cristóbal) Christenh. & Byng
Ayenia tomentosa L.
Ayenia truncata Rose
Ayenia velutina Urb.
Ayenia violacea Urb.
Ayenia wrightii B.L.Rob.

References

^ "Taxon: Ayenia L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-06-05. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ayenia L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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.
^ Clark, W. 1989. Lonchophorellus Clark, un nuevo género de Anthomini neotropical (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine The Coleopterists Bulletin v. 43, no. 3 p. 279-289.
^ 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

External links

Data related to Ayenia at Wikispecies
Media related to Ayenia at Wikimedia Commons
Jepson Manual Treatment
USDA Plants Profile

[GRIN-1] "Taxon: Ayenia L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-06-05. Retrieved 2011-02-20.

[powo-2] Ayenia L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 26 June 2023.

[Whitlock-3] 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.

[4] Clark, W. 1989. Lonchophorellus Clark, un nuevo género de Anthomini neotropical (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine The Coleopterists Bulletin v. 43, no. 3 p. 279-289.

[5] 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

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