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Sonerila

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Sonerila
Sonerila maculata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Melastomataceae
Genus: Sonerila
Roxb.
Species

See text

Sonerila[1] is a genus of plants in the family Melastomataceae. This genus is characterized the by presence of three petals (along with the genera Stussenia and Lithobium) as opposed to five in the other members of the family. Most members of the genus prefer growing in shady habitats. It is a large genus including about 175 species.[2]

This is primarily an Asiatic genus of the tropical and subtropical regions distributed from India and Sri Lanka to the Indo-Pacific.[3] The members of the group are generally herbs or under shrubs, including some stemless members. Leaves opposite, leaf margin entire or serrulate. Inflorescence usually scorpioid cymes. Flowers in most species purple, some members with reddish or white flowers. Stamens 3, (in one whorl) or rarely 6 (in two whorls). Ovary inferior, 3-celled. Many species of this genus have restricted distribution and very small populations and would thus be regarded as Vulnerable (VU) or Endangered (EN) based on IUCN Red List criteria though this taxon has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List.

Species

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Species accepted by the Plants of the World Online as of September 2021:[4]

References

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  1. ^ Roxburgh, William (1820). Flora Indica Vol 1. India: Mission Press. p. 493.
  2. ^ Lundin, Roger; Nordenstam, Bertil (19 March 2009). "Two new species of Sonerila (Melastomaceae) from South India". Novon. 19 (1): 76–79. doi:10.3417/2004198. S2CID 86826834.
  3. ^ Cellinese, N. (1997). "A New Sonerila (Melastomataceae) from Central Kalimantan, Borneo". Novon. 7 (2): 103–105. doi:10.2307/3392180. JSTOR 3392180.
  4. ^ "Sonerila". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.