| Taxon | Basella |
|---|---|
| Authority | L. |
| Type species | Basella alba |
| Synonyms | Gandola Rumph. ex Raf. |
The genus Basella is the type genus of the plant family Basellaceae. Basella contains five known species.[1] Three species are endemic to Madagascar, and one is endemic to southeastern Africa. The fifth is widespread across Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and New Guinea.[2]
The genus name is derived from the south Indian name Basale which Hendrik Rheede recorded in Malabar as Basella in his Hortus Malabaricus. The name was utilitized by Linnaeus.[3][4]
Species
- Basella alba L. - Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea; naturalized in Africa, southern China, Central America, and various oceanic islands
- Basella excavata Scott-Elliot - Madagascar
- Basella leandriana H.Perrier - Madagascar
- Basella madagascariensis Boivin ex. H.Perrier - Madagascar
- Basella paniculata Volkens - Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Transvaal, Kwazulu-Natal
References
- ^ "Basella". The Plant List. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Basella L.". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ Rheede, Hendrik van (1688). Hortus Malabaricus. Vol. 7. p. 45. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ Graham, John (1839). A catalogue of the plants growing in Bombay and its vicinity; spontaneous, cultivated or introduced, as far as they have been ascertained.. p. 170.