Melochia

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Malvales

Familia: Malvaceae
Subfamilia: Byttnerioideae
Tribus: Hermannieae
Genus: Melochia
Species: M. anomala – M. arenosa – M. argentina – M. bernoulliana – M. betonicifolia – M. betsiliensis – M. bissei – M. canescens – M. caracasana – M. chamaedrys – M. colombiana – M. compacta – M. corchorifolia – M. crenata – M. degeneriana – M. gardneri – M. goldbergii – M. graminifolia – M. grayana – M. hassleriana – M. hermannioides – M. illicioides – M. indica – M. kerriifolia – M. lanata – M. lanceolata – M. leucantha – M. longepetiolata – M. longibracteolata – M. longidentata – M. lupulina – M. makateaensis – M. manducata – M. melissifolia – M. ministella – M. mollipila – M. mollis – M. morongii – M. nodiflora – M. nudiflora – M. oaxacana – M. odorata – M. parhamii – M. parvifolia – M. peruviana – M. pilosa – M. pterocarpa – M. pulverulenta – M. pyramidata – M. roseiflora – M. savannarum – M. sergipana – M. simplex – M. speciosa – M. splendens – M. thymifolia – M. tomentella – M. tomentosa – M. trujilloi – M. ulmifolia – M. umbellata – M. villosa – M. werdermannii
Name

Melochia L., Sp. Pl. 2: 674 [774]. (1753), nom. et typ. cons.

Type species: Melochia corchorifolia L., Sp. Pl. 2: 675. (1753)

Note: There are some differences in species circumscription between the sources below.
Synonyms

Heterotypic
Aleurodendron Reinw.
Altheria Thouars
Anamorpha H.Karst. & Triana
Lochemia Arn.
Meluchia Medik.
Moluchia Medik.
Mougeotia Kunth
Physocodon Turcz.
Polychlaena G.Don
Riedlea Vent.
Riedleja Hassk.
Visenia Houtt.

References

Linnaeus, C. 1762. Species Plantarum, ed. 2, Tomus I: 674. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Melochia in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec. 21. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2020. Melochia. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec. 21. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Melochia. Published online. Accessed: Dec. 21 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Melochia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec. 21.

Melochia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It comprises 54 species from the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, ranging from India eastwards through Malesia and the Pacific Islands to the Americas and the Caribbean.

Some taxonomy books have placed genus Melochia in family Sterculiaceae,[1] but Sterculiaceae is now generally considered obsolete as a taxonomic class.

The name "Melochia" comes from the Arabic name Mulukhiyah which in Arabic means mallow plants of the genus Corchorus (including Corchorus olitorius) which are cultivated as vegetables in Egypt (and elsewhere). The take-up of this Arabic Molokheya as a label for the Melochia mallow plants began with the Latin botanist Prospero Alpini (died 1617), who spent several years in Egypt in the 1580s, and Alpini's name was soon adopted by the botanists Johann Bauhin (died 1613), Caspar Bauhin (died 1624), and Johann Vesling (visited Egypt 1628; died 1649).[2]

Selected species

Melochia arborea
Melochia caracasana
Melochia carrioni
Melochia chamaedrys
Melochia corchorifolia L.[3]
Melochia hermanoides
Melochia makateaensis
Melochia manducata
Melochia nodiflora Sw.[4]
Melochia odorata
Melochia parvifolia
Melochia pilosa
Melochia pyramidata L.[3]
Melochia spicata
Melochia tomentosa L.[4]
Melochia umbellata (Houtt.) Stapf[5]
Melochia villosa
Melochia vitiensis

Formerly placed here

Sida cordata (Burm.f.) Borss.Waalk. (as M. cordata Burm.f.)

References
Notes

"Genus: Melochia L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
L. Marcel Devic (year 1876), Dictionnaire étymologique des mots français d'origine orientale. Helmut Genaust (year 1998), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen. Prosperi Alpini (year 1592, republished year 1640) De Plantis Aegypti (in Latin).
"GRIN Species Records of Melochia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
"Melochia". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
Starr, Forest; Starr, Kim; & Loope, Lloyd (March 2003). "Melochia umbellata" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-11-30.