Lasianthus
Lasianthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are tropical subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely, small trees. They inhabit the understory of primary forests. The flowers are used extensively in the floral industry. "Lasianthus" has about 180 species. The type species for the genus is "Lasianthus cyanocarpus".  In 2012, a revision of "Lasianthus" in Malesia described 131 species. Another 30 or so species grow elsewhere in tropical Asia. Most of these are described in Flora of China or in "A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon". Fifteen species or perhaps as many as 20 species  are known from tropical Africa. Two species ("Lasianthus panamensis" and "Lasianthus lanceolatus"), or possibly three, are native to the neotropics. "Lasianthus strigosus", from Queensland, is the only species known from Australia. The Australian "Ixora baileyana" had at one time been placed in "Lasianthus" as "Lasianthus graciliflorus". Dried specimens of "Lasianthus" often shed their flowers and fruit. For this reason, misidentification is common, even in herbaria. The name "Lasianthus" has been misapplied to "Lisianthius" (also spelled as ""Lisianthus"" or ""Lisyanthus""), a genus in Gentianaceae. "Lasianthus alatus" Aublet is a misspelling of "Lisyanthus alatus" Aublet, a species now placed in "Chelonanthus". Species . "Lasianthus" contains the following species. This list may be incomplete or contain synonyms. All species mentioned in the article are listed here. Description. Subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely, small trees. - Leaves opposite, distichous. Stipules interpetiolar, usually persistent. - Inflorescences axillary, usually sessile. Flowers small, white. - Calyx with 3 to 6 teeth or lobes; persistent. Corolla with 4 to 6 lobes; throat usually villous. - Stamens 4 to 6, inserted on corolla throat. Anthers dorsifixed. - Stigma with lanceolate or linear lobes. Ovary multilocular. - Ovules basal, erect, 1 per locule. - Fruit a small drupe, usually blue. Pyrenes with thick walls. History. The generic name "Lasianthus  is derived from the Greek lasios", "shaggy, velvety, hairy", and "anthos", "flower". The genus was named by William Jack in 1823. Some authors have recognized "Dressleriopsis" and "Litosanthes" as genera separate from "Lasianthus". "Dressleriopsis" was sunk into "Lasianthus" in 1982. "Litosanthes" was erected by Carl Ludwig Blume in 1823. It was synonymized under "Lasianthus" in 1992. DNA sequence analysis has not resolved the question of whether "Litosanthes" is nested within "Lasianthus" or separate from it. Affinities. "Lasianthus", "Saldinia", and "Trichostachys" form the tribe Lasiantheae in the subfamily Rubioideae. "Perama" is related to this group and might be included within it . Lasiantheae was formerly thought to be close to "Psychotria", but is now known to be a basal clade in Rubioideae. It is sister to the large clade containing "Coussarea", "Psychotria", "Spermacoce", and many other genera. "Saprosma" and "Amaracarpus" were traditionally thought to be close to "Lasianthus". "Saprosma" is polyphyletic, with only part of it related to "Lasianthus". "Amaracarpus" is close to "Psychotria". The African genera "Batopedina" and "Dirichletia" have also been suggested as relatives of "Lasianthus". Taxonomy. Only one molecular phylogenetic study has sampled more than a few species from the tribe Lasiantheae. In that study, 11 species of "Lasianthus  were sampled, but few relationships were resolved. In 2012, a revision of the Malesian species divided Lasianthus" into 3 sections, based on the following type species: L. section Stipulares ("Lasianthus stipularis"), L. section Lasianthus ("Lasianthus cyanocarpus"), and L. section Nudiflorae ("Lasianthus blumeanus"). They did not recognize L.section Pedunculatae ("Lasianthus biermanii"), which some previous authors had recognized. They considered it to be indistinguishable from L. section Lasianthus.