Leea

Leea (Tagalog: Talyantan) is a genus of plants that are distributed throughout Northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, South and Southeast Asia and parts of Africa. The APG IV system places Leea in the subfamily Leeoideae (Vitaceae).[1] Leea is now placed in the family Vitaceae having previously been placed in its own family, Leeaceae, based on morphological differences between it and other Vitaceae genera. These differences include ovule number per locule (two in Vitaceae and one in Leeaceae), carpel number (two in Vitaceae and three in Leeaceae), and the absence or presence of a staminoidal tube (present in Leeaceae) and floral disc (present in Vitaceae). Pollen structure has also been examined for taxonomic demarcation, though studies have concluded that the pollen of Leeaceae and Vitaceae suggests the families should remain separate while other studies conclude that Leea should be included in Vitaceae.[2]

Leea
Leea rubra
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Vitales
Family: Vitaceae
Subfamily: Leeoideae
Burmeist.
Genus: Leea
D.Royen ex L.
Species

see text

The genus was named by Linnaeus after James Lee, the Scottish nurseryman based in Hammersmith, London who introduced many new plant discoveries to England at the end of the 18th century.[3]

Ecology

Leea flowers are visited by a variety of potential insect pollinators, including flies, wasps, bees, butterflies, and beetles. Some species may have evolved synchronized dichogamy as a mechanism to prevent self pollination.[4]

  • L. indica fruit and foliage.
    L. indica fruit and foliage.

Species

Plants of the World Online currently includes:[5]

  1. Leea aculeata Blume ex Spreng.
  2. Leea acuminatissima Merr.
  3. Leea adwivedica K.Kumar
  4. Leea aequata L.
  5. Leea alata Edgew.
  6. Leea amabilis H.J.Veitch
  7. Leea angulata Korth. ex Miq.
  8. Leea asiatica (L.) Ridsdale
  9. Leea compactiflora Kurz
  10. Leea congesta Elmer
  11. Leea coryphantha Lauterb.
  12. Leea curtisii King
  13. Leea glabra C.L.Li
  14. Leea gonioptera Lauterb.
  15. Leea grandifolia Kurz
  16. Leea guineensis G.Don
  17. Leea heterodoxa K.Schum. & Lauterb.
  18. Leea indica (Burm.f.) Merr.
  19. Leea krukoffiana Ridsdale
  20. Leea longifoliola Merr.
  21. Leea macrophylla Roxb. ex Hornem.
  22. Leea macropus Lauterb. & K.Schum.
  23. Leea magnifolia Merr.
  24. Leea papuana Merr. & L.M.Perry
  25. Leea philippinensis Merr.
  26. Leea quadrifida Merr.
  27. Leea rubra Blume
  28. Leea saxatilis Ridl.
  29. Leea setuligera C.B.Clarke
  30. Leea simplicifolia Zoll. & Moritzi
  31. Leea smithii Koord.
  32. Leea spinea Desc.
  33. Leea suaveolens Merr. & L.M.Perry
  34. Leea tetramera B.L.Burtt
  35. Leea thorelii Gagnep.
  36. Leea tinctoria Lindl. ex Baker
  37. Leea tuberculosemen C.B.Clarke
  38. Leea unifoliolata Merr.
  39. Leea zippeliana Miq.

References
  1. Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Vitaceae. Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 7, May 2006.
  2. Gerrath, J.M., Lacroix, C.R., and Posluszny, U. (1990). The developmental morphology of Leea guineensis. Botanical Gazette, 151(2): 210-220.
  3. Sue Shephard (2003). Seeds of Fortune - A Gardening Dynasty. Bloomsbury. p. 11. ISBN 0-7475-6066-8.
  4. Molina, J. 2009. Floral biology of Philippine morphospecies of the grape relative Leea. Plant Species Biology 24: 53-60.
  5. Plants of the World Online: Leea D.Royen (retrieved 24 December 2021)

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