List of the largest genera of flowering plants

There are 57 genera of flowering plants estimated to contain at least 500 described species. The largest of these is currently the legume genus Astragalus (milk-vetches), with over 3,000 species.

Agamospecies in the Ranunculus auricomus complex help to swell the number of species in the genus Ranunculus.

The sizes of plant genera vary widely from those containing a single species to genera containing thousands of species, and this disparity became clear early in the history of plant classification. The largest genus in Carl Linnaeus' seminal Species Plantarum was Euphorbia, with 56 species; Linnaeus believed that no genus should contain more than 100 species.[1]

Part of the disparity in genus sizes is attributable to historical factors. According to a hypothesis published by Max Walters in 1961, the size of plant genera is related to the age, not of the taxon itself, but of the concept of the taxon in the minds of taxonomists.[2] Plants which grew in Europe, where most of the early taxonomy was based, were therefore divided into relatively small genera, while those from the tropics were grouped into much larger and more heterogeneous genera.[2][3] Likewise, plants which shared common medicinal properties, such as the many species of Euphorbia, were united into a single genus, while plants of diverse uses, such as the grasses, were split into many genera.[2] Where there were many classical names for groups of plants, such as in Apiaceae / Umbelliferae or Brassicaceae / Cruciferae, small genera were defined, whereas groups not subdivided by classical authors remained as larger genera, such as Carex.[2][3] A number of biological factors also influence the number of species. For instance, the occurrence of apomixis allows the recognition of large numbers of agamospecies, and such taxa have helped to bolster genera such as Ranunculus and Potentilla.[1]

The introduction of infrageneric taxa (such as the subgenus, section and series) in the 19th century by botanists including Augustin Pyrame de Candolle allowed the retention of large genera that would otherwise have become unwieldy. E. J. H. Corner believed that studying large genera might enable greater insights into evolutionary biology, and he concentrated his efforts on large tropical genera such as Ficus.[1]

Largest genera

A total of 57 genera of flowering plants contain at least 500 species, according to a 2004 analysis by the botanical taxonomist David Frodin.[1] The actual numbers of species are imprecisely known, as many of the genera have not been the subject of recent monographs.[3] For instance, estimates of the number of species in the orchid genus Pleurothallis range from 1,120 to 2,500. Genera from other groups of vascular plants, but which have similarly large numbers of species, include Selaginella, Asplenium and Cyathea.[1]

Astragalus is the largest flowering plant genus, with more than 3,200 species, including Astragalus agnicidus.
Bulbophyllum is the second largest flowering plant genus, with more than 2,000 species, including Bulbophyllum guttulatum.
Psychotria is the third largest flowering plant genus, with more than 1,900 species, including Psychotria mariniana.
Euphorbia is the fourth largest flowering plant genus, with more than 1,800 species, including Euphorbia amygdaloides.
Carex is the fifth largest flowering plant genus, with more than 1,700 species, including Carex pilulifera.
Genera of flowering plants with at least 500 species[1]
RankGenusSpeciesFamilySpecies list
1 Astragalus 3,270FabaceaeList of Astragalus species
2 Bulbophyllum 2,032OrchidaceaeList of Bulbophyllum species
3 Psychotria 1,951RubiaceaeList of Psychotria species
4 Euphorbia 1,836EuphorbiaceaeList of Euphorbia species
5 Carex 1,795CyperaceaeList of Carex species
6 Begonia 1,484BegoniaceaeList of Begonia species
7 Dendrobium 1,371OrchidaceaeList of Dendrobium species
8 Acacia c. 1,353FabaceaeList of Acacia species
9 Solanum c. 1,250SolanaceaeList of Solanum species
10 Senecio c. 1,250AsteraceaeList of Senecio species
11 Croton 1,223EuphorbiaceaeList of Croton species
12 Pleurothallis 1,120+OrchidaceaeList of Pleurothallis species
13 Eugenia 1,113MyrtaceaeList of Eugenia species
14 Piper 1,055PiperaceaeList of Piper species
15 Ardisia 1,046PrimulaceaeList of Ardisia species
16 Syzygium 1,041MyrtaceaeList of Syzygium species
17 Rhododendron c. 1,000EricaceaeList of Rhododendron species
18 Miconia 1,000MelastomataceaeList of Miconia species
19 Peperomia 1,000PiperaceaeList of Peperomia species
20 Salvia 945LamiaceaeList of Salvia species
21 Erica 860EricaceaeList of Erica species
22 Impatiens 850BalsaminaceaeList of Impatiens species
23 Cyperus 839CyperaceaeList of Cyperus species
24 Phyllanthus 833PhyllanthaceaeList of Phyllanthus species
25 Allium 815AmaryllidaceaeList of Allium species
26 Epidendrum 800OrchidaceaeList of Epidendrum species
27 Vernonia 800–1,000AsteraceaeList of Vernonia species
28 Lepanthes c. 800OrchidaceaeList of Lepanthes species
29 Anthurium 789AraceaeList of Anthurium species
30 Diospyros 767EbenaceaeList of Diospyros species
31 Ficus 750Moraceae
32 Indigofera 700+Fabaceae
33 Justicia c. 700[4]AcanthaceaeList of Justicia species
34 Silene 700Caryophyllaceae
35 Oxalis 700Oxalidaceae
36 Crotalaria 699Fabaceae
37 Centaurea 695Asteraceae
38 Cassia 692Fabaceae
39 Eucalyptus 681MyrtaceaeList of Eucalyptus species
40 Oncidium 680Orchidaceae
41 Galium 661RubiaceaeList of Galium species
42 Cousinia 655Asteraceae
43 Ipomoea 650Convolvulaceae
44 Dioscorea 631Dioscoreaceae
45 Cyrtandra 622Gesneriaceae
46 Helichrysum 600Asteraceae
47 Ranunculus 600RanunculaceaeList of Ranunculus species
48 Habenaria 600OrchidaceaeList of Habenaria species
49 Schefflera 584AraliaceaeList of Schefflera species
50 Ixora 561RubiaceaeList of Ixora species
51 Berberis 556BerberidaceaeList of Berberis species
52 Quercus 531FagaceaeList of Quercus species
53 Pandanus c. 520PandanaceaeList of Pandanus species
54 Panicum 500+PoaceaeList of Panicum species
55 Eria 500Orchidaceae
56 Polygala 500Polygalaceae
57 Potentilla 500RosaceaeList of Potentilla species

References

  1. David G. Frodin (2004). "History and concepts of big plant genera". Taxon. 53 (3): 753–776. doi:10.2307/4135449. JSTOR 4135449.
  2. Max Walters (1961). "The shaping of angiosperm taxonomy". New Phytologist. 60 (1): 74–84. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1961.tb06241.x. JSTOR 2429789.
  3. David J. Mabberley (2008). "Introduction". Mabberley's Plant-book: a Portable Dictionary of Plants, their Classification and Uses (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. vii–xv. ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4.
  4. Daniel, Thomas F. (2011). "JUSTICIA (ACANTHACEAE) IN TEXAS". Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. 5 (2): 595–618. JSTOR 41972309.

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