| Parsonsia | |
|---|---|
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| Parsonsia heterophylla | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Subfamily: | Apocynoideae |
| Tribe: | Echiteae |
| Genus: | Parsonsia R.Br. |
| Species | |
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See text | |
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| Occurrence data for Parsonsia (GBIF) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Parsonsia is a genus of woody vines in the family Apocynaceae. Species occur throughout Indomalaya, Australasia and Melanesia.[1]
The leaves are opposite, the shape and size of juvenile leaves often bearing little resemblance to the adult leaves.[2] The latex may be clear and colourless, pale yellow or milky white.[2] The flowers are green, white, cream, yellow, orange, red, pink or brown, sometimes with contrasting markings. These are followed by elongated pod-like capsules, the two follicles eventually separating to reveal numerous seeds with long, silky hairs.[2]
The genus was named and described in 1810 by botanist Robert Brown in his paper On the Asclepiadeae published in Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society .[3] He named the genus in honour of James Parsons (1705–1770), an English physician and Fellow of the Royal Society.[4]
The generic name Parsonsia R.Br. (1810) is conserved against the earlier homonym Parsonsia P.Browne which was given to a genus in the family Lythraceae. The latter genus is now included in Cuphea.[5]
Parsonsia is closely related to Artia and Prestonia.[6][7]
Accepted species[1]
A species from New Zealand, Parsonsia variablis (Variable-leaved Parsonsia), was introduced into cultivation in England in 1847 as a greenhouse plant and was noted to have a sweet scent, however the flowers were regarded as "not very showy".[18] This species is thought to be a form of Parsonsia heterophylla.[11]
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