Dombeya

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Dombeya wallichii2.jpg |image_caption = Pink-ball (''Dombeya wallichii'') inflorescence |taxon = Dombeya |authority = Cav. (1786) |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = Several, see text |synonyms = *''Acropetalum'' A.Juss. (1849), nom. superfl. *''Assonia'' Cav. (1786) *''Astrapaea'' Lindl. (1821) *''Cavanilla'' J.F.Gmel. (1792) *''Hilsenbergia'' Bojer (1842), nom. illeg. *''Leeuwenhoeckia'' E.Mey. ex Endl. (1839), not validly publ. *''Vahlia'' Dahl (1787), nom. illeg. *''Walcuffa'' J.F.Gmel. (1792) *''Walkuffa'' Bruce ex Steud. *''Xeropetalum'' Delile (1826) |synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331567-2 ''Dombeya'' Cav.] ''Plants of the World Online''. Retrieved 25 June 2023.</ref> }}

'''''Dombeya''''' is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometimes, misleadingly, allude to the superficial similarity of flowering ''Dombeya'' to pears or hydrangeas (which are unrelated). Therefore, the genus as a whole is often simply called '''dombeyas'''. The generic name commemorates Joseph Dombey (1742–1794), a French botanist and explorer in South America, involved in the notorious "Dombey affair", embroiling scientists and governments of France, Spain, and Britain for more than two years.

==Distribution== These plants grow chiefly throughout Africa and Madagascar. Madagascar has the majority of species, with approximately 175 native species. 19 are found on the African mainland, with one, ''Dombeya torrida'', also extending into the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.<ref name = skema>Skema, Cynthia. "Toward a New Circumscription of Dombeya (Malvales: Dombeyaceae): A Molecular Phylogenetic and Morphological Study of Dombeya of Madagascar and a New Segregate Genus, Andringitra." ''Taxon'', vol. 61, no. 3, 2012, pp. 612–628. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41679276. Accessed 23 Aug. 2021.</ref> 24 species are native to the Mascarene Islands, of which 23 are endemic to the islands.<ref name = lepechon>Le Péchon, Timothée, Qiang Dai, Li-Bing Zhang, Xin-Fen Gao, and Hervé Sauquet (2015). "Diversification of Dombeyoideae (Malvaceae) in the Mascarenes: Old Taxa on Young Islands?" ''International Journal of Plant Sciences'' Volume 176, Number 3 March/April 2015. https://doi.org/10.1086/679350</ref> ''Dombeya acutangula'' is native to east Africa, Madagascar, and the Mascarenes, with a disjunct population in Laos in Southeast Asia.<ref name = acutangula>"''Dombeya acutangula'' Cav.". ''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 23 August 2021. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:822892-1</ref>

==Taxonomy== Formerly believed to hold only about 80 species, in the present delimitation, ''Dombeya'' is one of the most speciose Malvaceae genera, containing as many as 255 species. Most have been moved here from distinct genera, which are now considered junior synonyms.<ref name = hinsley2008>Hinsley (2008)</ref> Some of these might warrant recognition as subgenera, to show the evolutionary and phylogenetic patterns of the numerous dombeyas more clearly.<ref name = caoetal2006>Cao ''et al.'' (2006)</ref> In addition to the synonyms listed here, ''Astiria'' is suspected to be a rather distinct derivative of ''Dombeya'' and would thus have to be included in the present genus.<ref name = caoetal2006 /> This requires renaming of species, as ''A. rosea'' conflicts with ''D. rosea'', a junior synonym of ''D. burgessiae''. Furthermore, several species have been moved here from related genera that are still valid, namely ''Pentapetes''.<ref name = hinsley2008 />

''Dombeya'' of L'Héritier de Brutelle is a synonym of ''Tourrettia'' (Bignoniaceae). ''Dombeya'' of Lamarck is a synonym of ''Araucaria''.

==Selected species== There are 197 accepted species of ''Dombeya''.<ref name = powo/> Selected species include: [[Image:DombeyaElegans.JPG|thumb|right|''Dombeya elegans'']] [[Image:Dombeya pilosa flowers.JPG|thumb|right|''Dombeya pilosa'' flowers]] [[Image:Dombeya burgessiae Montjuic.jpg|thumb|right|''Dombeya burgessiae'']] * ''Dombeya acuminatissima'' Hochr. – eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya acutangula'' Cav. – Bois Bete, ''mahot tantan''. East Africa (Tanzania to Mozambique), Madagascar, Mascarene Islands, and Laos * ''Dombeya aethiopica'' Gilli – Ethiopia * ''Dombeya albisquama'' Arènes – central-eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya albotomentosa'' Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya alleizettei'' Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya amaniensis'' Engl. – Tanzania * ''Dombeya ambalabeensis'' Arènes – southwestern and southern Madagascar * ''Dombeya ambatosoratrensis'' Arènes – central-eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya ambohitrensis'' Arènes – northern Madagascar * ''Dombeya ambositrensis'' Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya ameliae'' Guill. – east-central Madagascar * ''Dombeya amplifolia'' Arènes – central-eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya anakaensis'' Arènes – southwestern Madagascar * ''Dombeya andapensis'' Arènes – central and eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya andrahomanensis'' Arènes – southern Madagascar * ''Dombeya angustipetala'' Arènes – eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya ankaratrensis'' Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya ankazobeensis'' Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya anonyensis'' Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya antsianakensis'' Baill. – central and eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya apikyensis'' Arènes – southeastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya aquifoliopsis'' Hochr. – eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya asymmetrica'' Appleq. – Madagascar * ''Dombeya australis'' Scott Elliot – southeastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya autumnalis'' I.Verd. – Northern Province of South Africa * ''Dombeya baronii'' Baker – central and eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya bathiei'' Hochr. – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya befotakensis'' Arènes – eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya bemarivensis'' (Hochr.) Arènes – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya biumbellata'' Baker – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya blattiolens'' Frapp. ex Cordem. – Réunion * ''Dombeya borraginea'' Hochr. – western Madagascar * ''Dombeya breonii'' Baill. – central and eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya brevistyla'' Arènes – central and eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya buettneri'' K.Schum. – tropical Africa from Guinea to Ethiopia and Zambia * ''Dombeya burgessiae'' Gerrard ex Harv. (= ''D. greenwayi'' Wild, ''D. mastersii'' Hook.f., ''D. parvifolia'' K.Schum., ''D. rosea'' E.G.Baker, ''D. tanganyikensis'' Baker) – South Sudan to Angola and South Africa * ''Dombeya cacuminum'' Hochr. – northern and central Madagascar * ''Dombeya cannabina'' {{small|Hils. & Bojer ex Hook.}} – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya capuroniana'' {{small|Arènes}} – north-central Madagascar (Montagne d'Ambre) * ''Dombeya capuronii'' {{small|Arènes}} – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya catatii'' {{small|Hochr.}} – southeastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya ciliata'' Cordem. – Réunion * ''Dombeya condensata'' {{small|Hochr.}} – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya coria'' Baill. – central and eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya cymosa'' Harv. – southern Mozambique to South Africa * ''Dombeya decanthera'' Cav. (= ''D. bojeriana'' Baill., ''Melhania decanthera'' (Cav.) DC) – southeastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya delislei'' Arènes – Réunion * ''Dombeya elegans'' Cordem. – sometimes included in ''D. burgessiae'' – Réunion * ''Dombeya ficulnea'' Baill. – sometimes erroneously included in ''D. punctata''<ref>Cao ''et al.'' (2006), Hinsley (2008)</ref>. – Réunion * ''Dombeya formosa'' Le Péchon & Pausé – Réunion * ''Dombeya glandulosissima'' Arènes – eastern Madagascar * ''Dombeya kirkii'' Mast. – southern Ethiopia to KwaZulu-Natal * ''Dombeya laurifolia'' (Bojer) Baill. (= ''D. parkeri'' Baill., ''D. valimpony'' R.Vig. & Humbert, ''D. valimpony'' f. ''obovalopsis'' Hochr., ''Melhania laurifolia'' Bojer) – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya leandrii'' Arènes – western Madagascar * ''Dombeya ledermannii'' Engl. – Nigeria and Cameroon * ''Dombeya longebracteolata'' Seyani – southwestern and southern Ethiopia * ''Dombeya montana'' (Hochr.) Arènes (= ''D. acerifolia'' var. ''montana'' Hochr.) – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya palmatisecta'' Hochr. – Madagascar * ''Dombeya pilosa'' Cordem. – Réunion * ''Dombeya pulchra'' N.E.Br. – South Africa: Northern Province to KwaZulu-Natal * ''Dombeya punctata'' Cav. (= ''D. lancea'' Cordem., ''D. pervillei'' Baill., ''Pentapetes punctata'' Poir.) – Réunion * ''Dombeya quinqueseta'' {{small|(Delile) Exell}} – tropical Africa to Namibia * ''Dombeya reclinata'' Cordem. – Réunion * ''Dombeya rottleroides'' Baill. – northern and central Madagascar * ''Dombeya rotundifolia'' (Hochst.) Planch. – Blompeer or "South African Wild Pear". southern Ethiopia to South Africa * ''Dombeya shupangae'' K.Schum. – southeastern Kenya to Mozambique and Democratic Republic of the Congo * ''Dombeya spectabilis'' Bojer (= ''D. chapelieri'' Baill., ''D. humblotii'' Baill., ''D. lantziana'' Baill., ''D. rotundifolia'' Bojer) – east-central Madagascar * ''Dombeya tiliacea'' (Endl.) Planch. (= ''Xeropetalum tiliaceum'' Endl.) – South Africa: Eastern Cape Province to KwaZulu-Natal * ''Dombeya torrida'' (J.F.Gmel.) Bamps – Central African Republic to Eritrea, Zambia, and Malawi; also Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia. * ''Dombeya tsaratananensis'' (Hochr.) Arènes (= ''D. ficulnea'' var. ''tsaratananensis'' Hochr.) – central Madagascar * ''Dombeya umbellata'' Cav. (= ''Pentapetes umbellata'' Poir.) – Réunion * ''Dombeya wallichii'' (Lindl.) K.Schum. (= ''Astrapaea wallichii'' Lindl.) – Pink-ball, "Tropical Hydrangea". Eastern Madagascar

===Formerly placed here=== * ''Friedmannodendron rodriguesiana'' {{small|(F.Friedmann) Le Péchon & Skema}} (as ''Dombeya rodriguesiana'' F.Friedmann) – Rodrigues<ref>{{cite web |title=''Friedmannodendron rodriguesiana'' (F.Friedmann) Le Péchon & Skema |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77345658-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=27 October 2025}}</ref>

==Footnotes== {{Reflist}}

==References== * {{aut|Cao, Nathanaël; Le Pechon, Timothée & Zaragüeta-Bagils, René}} (2006): Does minimizing homoplasy really maximize homology? MaHo: A method for evaluating homology among most parsimonious trees. ''C. R. Palevol'' '''7'''(1): 17–26. {{doi|10.1016/j.crpv.2007.12.008}} (HTML abstract) * {{aut|Hinsley, Stewart R.}} (2008): [http://www.malvaceae.info/Synonymy/Synonymy.php?genus=Dombeya Partial Synonymy of ''Dombeya'']. Retrieved 2008-JUN-25.

==External links== {{Commons category|position=left}} * malvaceae.info: [http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Dombeya/gallery.html ''Dombeya'' gallery]. Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. * PlantList [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Dombeya search for Dombeya]. Retrieved 20190318.

Category:Dombeya Category:Malvaceae genera Category:Dombeyoideae Category:Flora of the Afrotropical realm Category:Taxa named by Antonio José Cavanilles Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot