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Flagellaria | |
---|---|
Flagellaria indica[2] | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Clade: | Graminid clade |
Family: | Flagellariaceae Dumort.[1] |
Genus: | Flagellaria L. |
Flagellaria is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Flagellariaceae with only five species.[3] The family has historically been recognized by few taxonomists. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, 1998), does recognize such a family, and assigns it to the order Poales in the clade commelinids, in the monocots.
Flagellaria consists of only five known species, found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and various island of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. These plants are remarkable for two reasons: they are vines which branch dichotomously and each of the leaves is tipped with a tendril.[4]