Polyalthia

Polyalthia
	Polyalthia suberosa
	P. suberosa flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Annonaceae
Tribe:	Miliuseae
Genus:	Polyalthia; Blume
Type species
	Polyalthia subcordata; (Blume) Blume
Synonyms
	Haplostichanthus F.Muell.; Monostichanthus F.Muell.; Papualthia Diels; Sphaerothalamus Hook.f.; Tabraca Noronha;

Polyalthia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.^[1]

These are trees and shrubs. The flower has six petals in two whorls, the inner petals curving inward over the centre.^[1]

The name Polyalthia is derived from a combination of Greek words meaning 'many cures' with reference to the medicinal properties of certain species.^[2]

Species

This large genus was known to be polyphyletic, with many species having been separated and reassigned to other genera.^[3]^[4] Species have also been transferred into this genus (e.g. P. malabarica from Phaeanthus).

As of January 2025^[update], Plants of the World Online accepts the following 98 species:^[5]

Polyalthia angustissima Ridl.
Polyalthia barenensis Bân
Polyalthia borneensis Merr.
Polyalthia bracteosa Bân
Polyalthia bromantha I.M.Turner
Polyalthia brunneifolia J.Sinclair
Polyalthia bullata King
Polyalthia cambodica (Finet & Gagnep.) Wiya & Chaowasku
Polyalthia castanea Ridl.
Polyalthia cauliflora Hook.f. & Thomson
Polyalthia celebica Miq.
Polyalthia chalermglinii Bunchalee & D.M.Johnson
Polyalthia chantaranothaii Bunchalee & Chalermglin
Polyalthia charitopoda I.M.Turner
Polyalthia chayamaritiana Bunchalee & N.A.Murray
Polyalthia chinii I.M.Turner & Utteridge
Polyalthia chrysotricha Ridl.
Polyalthia cinnamomea Hook.f. & Thomson
Polyalthia clemensiorum Jovet-Ast
Polyalthia corticosa (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
Polyalthia debilis (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
Polyalthia dictyoneura Diels
Polyalthia dolichopoda I.M.Turner
Polyalthia dumosa King
Polyalthia elegans K.Schum. & Lauterb.
Polyalthia elliptica (Blume) Blume
Polyalthia endertii D.M.Johnson
Polyalthia evecta (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
Polyalthia flagellaris (Becc.) Airy Shaw
Polyalthia fruticosa (Jessup) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia gamopetala Boerl. ex Koord.-Schum.
Polyalthia gracilicolumnaris H.Okada, Tsukaya & Suleiman
Polyalthia gracilipes Merr.
Polyalthia guabatuensis I.M.Turner & Utteridge
Polyalthia guamusangensis I.M.Turner & Utteridge
Polyalthia heliopetala Leerat. & Bunchalee
Polyalthia hirtifolia J.Sinclair
Polyalthia hispida B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia ichthyosma I.M.Turner
Polyalthia igniflora D.M.Johnson
Polyalthia insignis (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw
Polyalthia intermedia (Pierre) Bân
Polyalthia johnsonii (F.Muell.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia kanchanaburiana Khumch. & Thongp.
Polyalthia khaoyaiensis Bunchalee & Chantar.
Polyalthia kinabaluensis I.M.Turner
Polyalthia lanceolata S.Vidal
Polyalthia lancilimba C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li
Polyalthia lasioclada I.M.Turner
Polyalthia lateritia J.Sinclair
Polyalthia longipedicellata (Alister, G.Rajkumar, Nazarudeen & Pandur.) Shailaj., B.Parthipan, A.K.Sreekala & E.S.S.Kumar
Polyalthia longipes (Miq.) Koord. & Valeton
Polyalthia longirostris (Scheff.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia luzonensis B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia malabarica (Bedd.) I.M.Turner
Polyalthia meghalayensis V.Prakash & Mehrotra
Polyalthia microsepala Diels
Polyalthia microtus Miq.
Polyalthia miliusoides I.M.Turner
Polyalthia mindorensis Merr.
Polyalthia miniata Teijsm. & Binn.
Polyalthia minima Jovet-Ast
Polyalthia minutiflora Elmer
Polyalthia monocarpioides I.M.Turner
Polyalthia montis-silam D.M.Johnson
Polyalthia moonii Thwaites
Polyalthia motleyana (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw
Polyalthia myristica I.M.Turner
Polyalthia novoguineensis (H.Okada) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia obliqua Hook.f. & Thomson
Polyalthia oblonga King
Polyalthia pakdin I.M.Turner & Utteridge
Polyalthia parviflora Ridl.
Polyalthia persicifolia (Hook.f. & Thomson) Bedd.
Polyalthia pisocarpa (Hassk.) I.M.Turner
Polyalthia polyphlebia Diels
Polyalthia praeflorens Bân
Polyalthia pumila Ridl.
Polyalthia rufescens Hook.f. & Thomson
Polyalthia saprosma I.M.Turner
Polyalthia sessiliflora (Ast) Bân
Polyalthia socia Craib
Polyalthia spathulata (Teijsm. & Binn.) Boerl.
Polyalthia stellata (Heusden) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia stenopetala (Hook.f. & Thomson) Finet & Gagnep.
Polyalthia stenophylla I.M.Turner
Polyalthia subcordata (Blume) Blume
Polyalthia suberosa (Roxb.) Thwaites
Polyalthia submontana (Jessup) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia suthepensis Wiya & Chaowasku
Polyalthia sympetala I.M.Turner
Polyalthia taweensis Bunchalee & Leerat.
Polyalthia tipuliflora D.M.Johnson
Polyalthia trochilia I.M.Turner
Polyalthia venosa Merr.
Polyalthia watui K.M.Wong
Polyalthia xanthocarpa B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Polyalthia yingjiangensis Y.H.Tan & B.Xue

Reassigned to other genera

According to Plants of the World Online, species have been placed in the following genera:

Disepalum
- Polyalthia pingpienensis P.T.Li – synonym of Disepalum plagioneurum (Diels) D.M.Johnson
Huberantha Chaowasku
- Polyalthia cerasoides (Roxb.) Bedd. – synonym of Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Chaowasku^[6]
- Polyalthia korinti (Dunal) Benth. & J. Hk. ex J. Hk. & Thoms – synonym of Huberantha korinti (Dunal) Chaowasku
- Polyalthia nitidissima – synonym of Huberantha nitidissima (Dunal) Chaowasku
- Polyalthia palawanensis Merr. – synonym of Huberantha palawanensis (Merr.) I.M.Turner
Meiogyne
- Polyalthia laddiana A.C.Sm. – synonym of Meiogyne laddiana (A.C.Sm.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Monoon Miq.
- Polyalthia coffeoides (Hook.f. & Th.) – synonym of Monoon coffeoides (Thwaites ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders^[7]
- Polyalthia fragrans (Dalz.) Bedd. – synonym of Monoon fragrans (Dalzell) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia glabra (Hook.f. & Th.) James Sincl. – synonym of Monoon glabrum (Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia hookeriana King – synonym of Monoon hookerianum (King) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia hypogaea King – synonym of Monoon hypogaeum (King) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites – synonym of Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders^[8]
- Polyalthia pachyphylla King – synonym of Monoon pachyphyllum (King) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia shendurunii Basha & Sasi. is now Monoon shendurunii (Basha & Sasidh.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
- Polyalthia simiarum (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.f. & Thomson) Hook.f. & Thomson – synonym of Monoon simiarum (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
Phaeanthus
- Polyalthia macropoda King – synonym of Phaeanthus ophthalmicus (Roxb. ex G.Don) J.Sinclair
Polyalthiopsis Chaowasku
- Polyalthia floribunda Jovet-Ast – synonym of Polyalthiopsis floribunda (Jovet-Ast) Chaowasku (Vietnam)
Wuodendron B.Xue, Y.H.Tan & Chaowasku (monotypic)
- Polyalthia litseifolia C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li – synonym of Wuodendron praecox (Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue, Y.H.Tan & X.L.Hou

References

^ ^a ^b Polyalthia. Flora of China.
^ McCann, Charles (1959). 100 Beautiful Trees of India: A Descriptive and Pictorial Handbook. D.B. Taraporevala Sons & Co. Private Ltd. p. 32.
^ Xue, B., Su, Y. C., Mols, J. B., KEßLER, P. J., & Saunders, R. M. (2011). Further fragmentation of the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae): molecular phylogenetic support for a broader delimitation of Marsypopetalum. Systematics and Biodiversity, 9(1), 17-26.
^ Xue, B., Su, Y. C. F., Thomas, D. C., & Saunders, R. M. K. (2012). Pruning the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae) and resurrecting the genus Monoon. Taxon, 61(5), 1021-1039.
^ "Polyalthia Blume". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
^ Plants of the World Online (POWO): Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Chaowasku (retrieved 4 April 2020)
^ Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon coffeoides (Thwaites ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)
^ Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)

[foc-1] Polyalthia. Flora of China.

[mccann-2] McCann, Charles (1959). 100 Beautiful Trees of India: A Descriptive and Pictorial Handbook. D.B. Taraporevala Sons & Co. Private Ltd. p. 32.

[3] Xue, B., Su, Y. C., Mols, J. B., KEßLER, P. J., & Saunders, R. M. (2011). Further fragmentation of the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae): molecular phylogenetic support for a broader delimitation of Marsypopetalum. Systematics and Biodiversity, 9(1), 17-26.

[4] Xue, B., Su, Y. C. F., Thomas, D. C., & Saunders, R. M. K. (2012). Pruning the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae) and resurrecting the genus Monoon. Taxon, 61(5), 1021-1039.

[POWO-5] "Polyalthia Blume". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.

[6] Plants of the World Online (POWO): Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Chaowasku (retrieved 4 April 2020)

[7] Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon coffeoides (Thwaites ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)

[8] Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)

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