Ternstroemia is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Pentaphylacaceae, distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The genus, first described by Carl Linnaeus the Younger in 1782, consists of 161 species of shrubs and trees generally known as ternstroemias. Members of the genus are often grown as ornamental plants or are used medicinally.

Description

Members of Ternstroemia grow as evergreen shrubs or trees with leaves, whose margins are entire or uncommonly serrate. The flowers are and usually solitary, but may appear in clusters on leafless branches. Species of the genus are , where bisexual and male flowers appear on separate individuals. The fruits are fleshy, berry-like capsuless that either remain closed or dehisce, revealing the dangling seeds within; the seeds are kidney‑shaped, slightly compressed, and covered by a fleshy red coating over a thick endosperm.

Taxonomy

Ternstroemia was first described by Carl Linnaeus the Younger in 1782, having been proposed by José Celestino Mutis earlier. The genus, along with related genera such as Eurya and Cleyera, were previously classified within a subfamily of Theaceae; in a subsequent revision, the genus, together with its relatives, were transferred to the now defunct Ternstroemiaceae family. In 2016, the APG IV system placed the group in the formerly monotypic Pentaphylacaceae.

The genus name is in honor of Christopher Tärnström, a clergyman, botanist, and student of Linnaeus.

Selected species

References