Altingia
Altingia is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the family Altingiaceae, formerly often treated in the related family Hamamelidaceae.[1] The genus is native to southeastern Asia, in Bhutan, Cambodia, southern China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is named in honor of Willem Arnold Alting (1724–1800), the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies when Noronha visited Java.[2]
Altingia | |
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Altingia gracilipes | |
Scientific classification | |
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(unranked): | Core eudicots |
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Genus: | Altingia |
Species | |
See text. |
They are evergreen trees growing to 10–50 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple unlobed, 4–15 cm long and 2–7 cm broad, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced in a dense globose inflorescence, similar to those of the related genus Liquidambar.
Some recent genetic evidence suggests Altingia should be merged into a broader circumscription of Liquidambar, but other evidence maintains their separation.[3][4][5]
- Selected species
- Altingia chinensis
- Altingia excelsa
- Altingia gracilipes
- Altingia multinervis
- Altingia obovata
- Altingia poilanei
- Altingia siamensis
- Altingia tenuifolia
- Altingia yunnanensis
The leaves are used as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera, including Endoclita damor.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Altingia. |
- Zhang Zhiyun, Zhang Hongda (Chang Hung-ta), and Peter K. Endress. 2003. "Altingia". pages 19-21. In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, and Hong, Deyuan (editors). Flora of China volume 9. Science Press: Beijing, China; Missouri Botanical Garden Press: St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- Hayne F. G. 1830: Getreue Darstellung und Beschreibung der in der Arzneykunde gebräuchlichen Gewächse. Vol. 11. Berlin. - Online
- Stephanie M. Ickert-Bond; Jun Wen (2006), "Phylogeny and biogeography of Altingiaceae: Evidence from combined analysis of five non-coding chloroplast regions", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 39 (2): 512–528, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.003, PMID 16439163
- Stefanie M. Ickert-Bond; Kathleen B. Pigg; Jun Wen (2005), "Comparative infructescence morphology in Liquidambar (Altingiaceae) and its evolutionary significance", American Journal of Botany, 92 (8): 1234–1255, doi:10.3732/ajb.92.8.1234, PMID 21646145.
- Stephanie M. Ickert-Bond; Kathleen B. Pigg; Jun Wen (2007), "Comparative infructescence morphology in Altingia (Altingiaceae) and discordance between morphological and molecular phylogenies", American Journal of Botany, 94 (7): 1094–1115, doi:10.3732/ajb.94.7.1094, PMID 21636478, S2CID 25483353