Melochia

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Melochia arborea Blanco1.189.png | image_caption = ''Melochia arborea'', plate from ''Flora de Filipinas'' (1880-1883) by Francisco Manuel Blanco | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Melochia | authority = L. (1753)<ref name="GRIN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?7445 |title=Genus: ''Melochia'' L. |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |date=2007-10-05 |access-date=2010-12-08}}</ref> | subdivision = See text | synonyms = {{hidden begin|title = List}} * ''Aleurodendron'' Reinw. * ''Altheria'' Thouars * ''Anamorpha'' H.Karst. & Triana * ''Lochemia'' Arn. * ''Meluchia'' Medik. * ''Moluchia'' Medik. * ''Mougeotia'' Kunth * ''Physocodon'' Turcz. * ''Polychlaena'' G.Don * ''Riedlea'' Vent. * ''Riedleja'' Hassk. * ''Visenia'' Houtt. {{hidden end}} | synonyms_ref = }}

'''''Melochia''''' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It comprises 54 species from the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, ranging from India eastwards through Malesia and the Pacific Islands to the Americas and the Caribbean.

Some taxonomy books have placed genus ''Melochia'' in the family ''Sterculiaceae,''<ref name="GRIN"/> but ''Sterculiaceae'' is now generally considered obsolete as a taxonomic class.

The name "Melochia" comes from the Arabic name Mulukhiyah which in Arabic means mallow plants of the genus ''Corchorus'' (including ''Corchorus olitorius'') which are cultivated as vegetables in Egypt (and elsewhere). The take-up of this Arabic ''Molokheya'' as a label for the ''Melochia'' mallow plants began with the Latin botanist Prospero Alpini (died 1617), who spent several years in Egypt in the 1580s, and Alpini's name was soon adopted by the botanists Johann Bauhin (died 1613), Caspar Bauhin (died 1624), and Johann Vesling (visited Egypt 1628; died 1649).<ref>L. Marcel Devic (year 1876), [https://archive.org/stream/dictionnairety00devi#page/162/mode/1up ''Dictionnaire étymologique des mots français d'origine orientale'']. Helmut Genaust (year 1998), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=yq0YhE8RM0kC Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen]''. Prosperi Alpini (year 1592, republished year 1640) [https://books.google.com/books?id=zdwTAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA92 ''De Plantis Aegypti'' (in Latin)].</ref>

==Species== [[File:Kampung Lang Merah, Pendang 20240917 120028.jpg|thumb|''Melochia corchorifolia'']] The following species are recognised in the genus ''Melochia'': {{div col|colwidth=22em}} *''Melochia anomala'' {{small|Griseb.}} *''Melochia arenosa'' {{small|Benth.}} *''Melochia argentina'' {{small|R.E.Fr.}} *''Melochia bernoulliana'' {{small|Donn.Sm.}} *''Melochia betonicifolia'' {{small|A.St.-Hil.}} *''Melochia betsiliensis'' {{small|Baker}} *''Melochia bissei'' {{small|A.Rodr.}} *''Melochia canescens'' {{small|Cristóbal}} *''Melochia caracasana'' {{small|Jacq.}} *''Melochia chamaedrys'' {{small|A.St.-Hil.}} *''Melochia colombiana'' {{small|Cuatrec.}} *''Melochia corchorifolia'' {{small|L.}} *''Melochia crenata'' {{small|Vahl}} *''Melochia degeneriana'' {{small|A.C.Sm.}} *''Melochia gardneri'' {{small|Sprague}} *''Melochia goldbergii'' {{small|Cristóbal}} *''Melochia graminifolia'' {{small|A.St.-Hil.}} *''Melochia grayana'' {{small|A.C.Sm.}} *''Melochia hassleriana'' {{small|Chodat}} *''Melochia hermannioides'' {{small|A.St.-Hil.}} *''Melochia illicioides'' {{small|K.Schum.}} *''Melochia kerriifolia'' {{small|Triana & Planch.}} *''Melochia lanata'' {{small|A.St.-Hil.}} *''Melochia lanceolata'' {{small|Benth.}} *''Melochia leucantha'' {{small|J.F.Macbr.}} *''Melochia longepetiolata'' {{small|A.C.Sm.}} *''Melochia longibracteolata'' {{small|Arènes}} *''Melochia longidentata'' {{small|Goldberg}} *''Melochia lupulina'' {{small|Sw.}} *''Melochia manducata'' {{small|C.Wright}} *''Melochia melissifolia'' {{small|Benth.}} *''Melochia ministella'' {{small|Cristóbal}} *''Melochia mollipila'' {{small|A.C.Sm.}} *''Melochia mollis'' {{small|(Kunth) Triana & Planch.}} *''Melochia morongii'' {{small|Britton}} *''Melochia nodiflora'' {{small|Sw.}} *''Melochia nudiflora'' {{small|Standl. & L.O.Williams}} *''Melochia oaxacana'' {{small|Dorr & L.C.Barnett}} *''Melochia odorata'' {{small|L.f.}} *''Melochia parhamii'' {{small|A.C.Sm.}} *''Melochia parvifolia'' {{small|Kunth}} *''Melochia peruviana'' {{small|Desr.}} *''Melochia pilosa'' {{small|(Mill.) Fawc. & Rendle}} *''Melochia pterocarpa'' {{small|Arènes}} *''Melochia pulverulenta'' {{small|Miers}} *''Melochia pyramidata'' {{small|L.}} *''Melochia roseiflora'' {{small|A.C.Sm.}} *''Melochia savannarum'' {{small|Britton}} *''Melochia sergipana'' {{small|Monteiro}} *''Melochia simplex'' {{small|A.St.-Hil.}} *''Melochia speciosa'' {{small|S.Watson}} *''Melochia splendens'' {{small|A.St.-Hil. & Naudin}} *''Melochia taiwaniana'' {{small|S.S.Ying}} *''Melochia thymifolia'' {{small|(C.Presl) Goldberg}} *''Melochia tomentella'' {{small|(C.Presl) Hemsl.}} *''Melochia tomentosa'' {{small|L.}} *''Melochia trujilloi'' {{small|J.B.Rondón & Cumaná}} *''Melochia ulmifolia'' {{small|Benth.}} *''Melochia umbellata'' {{small|(Houtt.) Stapf}} *''Melochia urticifolia'' {{small|(Turcz.) Standl.}} *''Melochia villosa'' {{small|(Mill.) Fawc. & Rendle}} *''Melochia villosissima'' {{small|(C.Presl) Merr. – endemic to western Micronesian islands<ref>{{Cite web |title=Melochia villosissima (C.Presl) Merr. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:824571-1 |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}</ref>}} *''Melochia werdermannii'' {{small|Goldberg}} {{div col end}}

===Formerly placed here=== *''Sida cordata'' (Burm.f.) Borss.Waalk. (as ''M. cordata'' Burm.f.)

==References== {{Commons category|position=left}}

===Notes=== {{Reflist}}

Category:Byttnerioideae Category:Malvaceae genera