Duma (plant)
Duma is a genus of shrubby flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae, subfamily Polygonoideae. The genus was separated from "Muehlenbeckia" in 2011. The native range of the genus is Australia. Description. Species of "Duma" are shrubs, with many flexible branches, whose tips are thornlike. They have white to greyish bark. The leaves are longer than wide, with a very small curved spine at the tip. The flowers are without stalks (petioles). Plants are dioecious. Staminate flowers have eight stamens and a rudimentary or missing pistil; pistillate flowers have staminodes. The fruit is in the form of an ovoid  or three-angled achene, which is smooth and shiny. Taxonomy. The genus "Duma" was created by Tanja Schuster in 2011 for some species previously placed in "Muehlenbeckia", but which were shown by molecular phylogenetic studies to form a distinct clade. The name is derived from the Latin for "thorn-bush". "Duma" is placed in the tribe Polygoneae of the subfamily Polygonoideae. Within the tribe, it is most closely related to the genera "Atraphaxis" and "Polygonum", forming the so-called "DAP clade", and is not so closely related to "Muehlenbeckia". Species. , three species were accepted by Plants of the World Online