Polyalthia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.[1]
These are trees and shrubs. The flower has six petals in two whorls, the inner petals curving inward over the centre.[1]
The name Polyalthia is derived from a combination of Greek words meaning ‘many cures’ with reference to the medicinal properties of certain species.[2]
Species
This large genus was known to be polyphyletic, with many species having been separated and reassigned to other genera.[3][4] Species have also been transferred into this genus (e.g. P. malabarica from Phaeanthus).
As of January 2025, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 98 species:[5]
- Polyalthia angustissima Ridl.
- Polyalthia barenensis Bân
- Polyalthia borneensis Merr.
- Polyalthia bracteosa Bân
- Polyalthia bromantha I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia brunneifolia J.Sinclair
- Polyalthia bullata King
- Polyalthia cambodica (Finet & Gagnep.) Wiya & Chaowasku
- Polyalthia castanea Ridl.
- Polyalthia cauliflora Hook.f. & Thomson
- Polyalthia celebica Miq.
- Polyalthia chalermglinii Bunchalee & D.M.Johnson
- Polyalthia chantaranothaii Bunchalee & Chalermglin
- Polyalthia charitopoda I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia chayamaritiana Bunchalee & N.A.Murray
- Polyalthia chinii I.M.Turner & Utteridge
- Polyalthia chrysotricha Ridl.
- Polyalthia cinnamomea Hook.f. & Thomson
- Polyalthia clemensiorum Jovet-Ast
- Polyalthia corticosa (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
- Polyalthia debilis (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
- Polyalthia dictyoneura Diels
- Polyalthia dolichopoda I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia dumosa King
- Polyalthia elegans K.Schum. & Lauterb.
- Polyalthia elliptica (Blume) Blume
- Polyalthia endertii D.M.Johnson
- Polyalthia evecta (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
- Polyalthia flagellaris (Becc.) Airy Shaw
- Polyalthia fruticosa (Jessup) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia gamopetala Boerl. ex Koord.-Schum.
- Polyalthia gracilicolumnaris H.Okada, Tsukaya & Suleiman
- Polyalthia gracilipes Merr.
- Polyalthia guabatuensis I.M.Turner & Utteridge
- Polyalthia guamusangensis I.M.Turner & Utteridge
- Polyalthia heliopetala Leerat. & Bunchalee
- Polyalthia hirtifolia J.Sinclair
- Polyalthia hispida B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia ichthyosma I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia igniflora D.M.Johnson
- Polyalthia insignis (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw
- Polyalthia intermedia (Pierre) Bân
- Polyalthia johnsonii (F.Muell.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia kanchanaburiana Khumch. & Thongp.
- Polyalthia khaoyaiensis Bunchalee & Chantar.
- Polyalthia kinabaluensis I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia lanceolata S.Vidal
- Polyalthia lancilimba C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li
- Polyalthia lasioclada I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia lateritia J.Sinclair
- Polyalthia longipedicellata (Alister, G.Rajkumar, Nazarudeen & Pandur.) Shailaj., B.Parthipan, A.K.Sreekala & E.S.S.Kumar
- Polyalthia longipes (Miq.) Koord. & Valeton
- Polyalthia longirostris (Scheff.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia luzonensis B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia malabarica (Bedd.) I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia meghalayensis V.Prakash & Mehrotra
- Polyalthia microsepala Diels
- Polyalthia microtus Miq.
- Polyalthia miliusoides I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia mindorensis Merr.
- Polyalthia miniata Teijsm. & Binn.
- Polyalthia minima Jovet-Ast
- Polyalthia minutiflora Elmer
- Polyalthia monocarpioides I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia montis-silam D.M.Johnson
- Polyalthia moonii Thwaites
- Polyalthia motleyana (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw
- Polyalthia myristica I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia novoguineensis (H.Okada) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia obliqua Hook.f. & Thomson
- Polyalthia oblonga King
- Polyalthia pakdin I.M.Turner & Utteridge
- Polyalthia parviflora Ridl.
- Polyalthia persicifolia (Hook.f. & Thomson) Bedd.
- Polyalthia pisocarpa (Hassk.) I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia polyphlebia Diels
- Polyalthia praeflorens Bân
- Polyalthia pumila Ridl.
- Polyalthia rufescens Hook.f. & Thomson
- Polyalthia saprosma I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia sessiliflora (Ast) Bân
- Polyalthia socia Craib
- Polyalthia spathulata (Teijsm. & Binn.) Boerl.
- Polyalthia stellata (Heusden) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia stenopetala (Hook.f. & Thomson) Finet & Gagnep.
- Polyalthia stenophylla I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia subcordata (Blume) Blume
- Polyalthia suberosa (Roxb.) Thwaites
- Polyalthia submontana (Jessup) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia suthepensis Wiya & Chaowasku
- Polyalthia sympetala I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia taweensis Bunchalee & Leerat.
- Polyalthia tipuliflora D.M.Johnson
- Polyalthia trochilia I.M.Turner
- Polyalthia venosa Merr.
- Polyalthia watui K.M.Wong
- Polyalthia xanthocarpa B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia yingjiangensis Y.H.Tan & B.Xue
Reassigned to other genera
According to Plants of the World Online, species have been placed in the following genera:
- Disepalum
- Polyalthia pingpienensis P.T.Li – synonym of Disepalum plagioneurum (Diels) D.M.Johnson
- Huberantha Chaowasku
- Polyalthia cerasoides (Roxb.) Bedd. – synonym of Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Chaowasku[6]
- Polyalthia korinti (Dunal) Benth. & J. Hk. ex J. Hk. & Thoms – synonym of Huberantha korinti (Dunal) Chaowasku
- Polyalthia nitidissima – synonym of Huberantha nitidissima (Dunal) Chaowasku
- Polyalthia palawanensis Merr. – synonym of Huberantha palawanensis (Merr.) I.M.Turner
- Meiogyne
- Polyalthia laddiana A.C.Sm. – synonym of Meiogyne laddiana (A.C.Sm.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Monoon Miq.
- Polyalthia coffeoides (Hook.f. & Th.) – synonym of Monoon coffeoides (Thwaites ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders[7]
- Polyalthia fragrans (Dalz.) Bedd. – synonym of Monoon fragrans (Dalzell) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia glabra (Hook.f. & Th.) James Sincl. – synonym of Monoon glabrum (Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia hookeriana King – synonym of Monoon hookerianum (King) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia hypogaea King – synonym of Monoon hypogaeum (King) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites – synonym of Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders[8]
- Polyalthia pachyphylla King – synonym of Monoon pachyphyllum (King) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia shendurunii Basha & Sasi. is now Monoon shendurunii (Basha & Sasidh.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia simiarum (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.f. & Thomson) Hook.f. & Thomson – synonym of Monoon simiarum (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Phaeanthus
- Polyalthia macropoda King – synonym of Phaeanthus ophthalmicus (Roxb. ex G.Don) J.Sinclair
- Polyalthiopsis Chaowasku
- Polyalthia floribunda Jovet-Ast – synonym of Polyalthiopsis floribunda (Jovet-Ast) Chaowasku (Vietnam)
- Wuodendron B.Xue, Y.H.Tan & Chaowasku (monotypic)
- Polyalthia litseifolia C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li – synonym of Wuodendron praecox (Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue, Y.H.Tan & X.L.Hou
References
- ^ a b Polyalthia. Flora of China.
- ^ McCann, Charles (1959). 100 Beautiful Trees of India: A Descriptive and Pictorial Handbook. D.B. Taraporevala Sons & Co. Private Ltd. p. 32.
- ^ Xue, B., Su, Y. C., Mols, J. B., KEßLER, P. J., & Saunders, R. M. (2011). Further fragmentation of the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae): molecular phylogenetic support for a broader delimitation of Marsypopetalum. Systematics and Biodiversity, 9(1), 17-26.
- ^ Xue, B., Su, Y. C. F., Thomas, D. C., & Saunders, R. M. K. (2012). Pruning the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae) and resurrecting the genus Monoon. Taxon, 61(5), 1021-1039.
- ^ “Polyalthia Blume”. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ Plants of the World Online (POWO): Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Chaowasku (retrieved 4 April 2020)
- ^ Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon coffeoides (Thwaites ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)
- ^ Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)