| Nestegis | |
|---|---|
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| Black maire (Nestegis cunninghamii) in New Zealand | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Tribe: | Oleeae |
| Subtribe: | Oleinae |
| Genus: | Nestegis Raf.[1] |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Gymnelaea (Endl.) Spach | |
Nestegis is a genus of flowering plant in the olive family, Oleaceae. There are five currently accepted species in the genus: three species are endemictoNew Zealand, while one can be found on New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Another is restricted to Hawaiʻi.[2]
Some species of the related genus Osmanthus are sometimes included here.[3]
The name Nestegis is of unknown origin, since the author Constantine Samuel Rafinesque often invented generic names from scratch. It may have no meaning at all or it may derive from Greek stegos (στέγος) meaning "cover" in allusion to the lack of a corolla in the type species, Nestegis apetala.[4]
Nestegis species are evergreen treesorshrubs. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire, and coriaceous. The inflorescence is axillary, decussate, sometimes terminal and somewhat paniculate. The flowers are either bisexual or functionally unisexual. The corolla is either absent or four-lobed with a short tube. There are two or four stamens. The ovary is shaped like a flask. The fruit is a drupe containing a single seed.
Currently accepted species:[2]
Formerly included:
Authority control databases: National  |
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