Phylica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Phylica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Phylica pubescens | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Tribe: | Phyliceae |
| Genus: | Phylica L. |
Phylica is a genus of plants in the family Rhamnaceae. It contains about 150 species,[1] the majority of which are restricted to South Africa, where they form part of the fynbos.[2] A few species occur in other parts of southern Africa, and on islands including Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, Île Amsterdam, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha,[1] and Gough Island. Phylica piloburmensis from the Burmese amber of Myanmar, dating to around 99 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous, was originally described as the oldest fossil member of the genus,[3] but subsequent studies contested its assignment to the genus Phylica[4] and even to the family Rhamnaceae,[5] with one study placing it in the separate genus Nothophylica.[5]
The genus name Phylica comes from the Greek φυλλικός (phullikόs) "of leaves, concerning leaves", as the stems are densely leafy in most of the species.[6]
