Malesherbia

Malesherbia is a genus of flowering plants consisting of 25 species in the Passifloraceae. This is a xerophytic group endemic to the Peruvian and Chilean deserts and adjacent Argentina. The genus is currently recognized by the APG III system of classification in the family Passifloraceae, and is the sole member of the subfamily Malesherbioideae.^{[1] [2]}

Malesherbia is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs.

Members of Malesherbia have perfect hermaphroditic flowers that come in various shades of red, pink, pale yellow, white, and purple.^[3] These are tube or funnel shaped, with 10 nerves, 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 stamen and 3-4 styles.^[4] They have either solitary flowers opposite to leaves or inflorescence that look like clusters.^[4]

In 1794, Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón Jiménez would describe Malesherbia.^[5] Malesherbia was distinguished from other genera due to its small five parted limbus, ovulate open jaciniis, five petals that are inserted at the interstices of the throat of the calyx, five oblong and bilocular anthers, three pistils, and several other traits.^[5] The genus is named after Chrétien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes.^[5] In the original description, the type species was not named.

In 1798, Antonio José Cavanilles would describe the genera under Gynopleura. Cavanilles admitted that Malesherbia was described exactly as Gynopleura, however, the seeds of Malesherbia were not described in the original text, and thus Cavanilles felt justified in publishing the genera under Gynopleura.^[6] Cacanilles would, however, establish M. tubulosa as the genera's type species.

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