Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Polyalthia

Polyalthia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.

Last revised
Jun 23, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
Length
1,015 w
Citations
9
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Polyalthia
Polyalthia suberosa
P. suberosa flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Tribe: Miliuseae
Genus: Polyalthia
Blume
Type species
Polyalthia subcordata
(Blume) Blume
Synonyms

Polyalthia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.1

These are trees and shrubs. The flower has six petals in two whorls, the inner petals curving inward over the centre.1

The name Polyalthia is derived from a combination of Greek words meaning 'many cures' with reference to the medicinal properties of certain species.2

Species

This large genus was known to be polyphyletic, with many species having been separated and reassigned to other genera.34 Species have also been transferred into this genus (e.g. P. malabarica from Phaeanthus).

As of January 2025, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 98 species:5

  • Polyalthia angustissima Ridl.
  • Polyalthia barenensis Bân
  • Polyalthia borneensis Merr.
  • Polyalthia bracteosa Bân
  • Polyalthia bromantha I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia brunneifolia J.Sinclair
  • Polyalthia bullata King
  • Polyalthia cambodica (Finet & Gagnep.) Wiya & Chaowasku
  • Polyalthia castanea Ridl.
  • Polyalthia cauliflora Hook.f. & Thomson
  • Polyalthia celebica Miq.
  • Polyalthia chalermglinii Bunchalee & D.M.Johnson
  • Polyalthia chantaranothaii Bunchalee & Chalermglin
  • Polyalthia charitopoda I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia chayamaritiana Bunchalee & N.A.Murray
  • Polyalthia chinii I.M.Turner & Utteridge
  • Polyalthia chrysotricha Ridl.
  • Polyalthia cinnamomea Hook.f. & Thomson
  • Polyalthia clemensiorum Jovet-Ast
  • Polyalthia corticosa (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
  • Polyalthia debilis (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
  • Polyalthia dictyoneura Diels
  • Polyalthia dolichopoda I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia dumosa King
  • Polyalthia elegans K.Schum. & Lauterb.
  • Polyalthia elliptica (Blume) Blume
  • Polyalthia endertii D.M.Johnson
  • Polyalthia evecta (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep.
  • Polyalthia flagellaris (Becc.) Airy Shaw
  • Polyalthia fruticosa (Jessup) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia gamopetala Boerl. ex Koord.-Schum.
  • Polyalthia gracilicolumnaris H.Okada, Tsukaya & Suleiman
  • Polyalthia gracilipes Merr.
  • Polyalthia guabatuensis I.M.Turner & Utteridge
  • Polyalthia guamusangensis I.M.Turner & Utteridge
  • Polyalthia heliopetala Leerat. & Bunchalee
  • Polyalthia hirtifolia J.Sinclair
  • Polyalthia hispida B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia ichthyosma I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia igniflora D.M.Johnson
  • Polyalthia insignis (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw
  • Polyalthia intermedia (Pierre) Bân
  • Polyalthia johnsonii (F.Muell.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia kanchanaburiana Khumch. & Thongp.
  • Polyalthia khaoyaiensis Bunchalee & Chantar.
  • Polyalthia kinabaluensis I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia lanceolata S.Vidal
  • Polyalthia lancilimba C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li
  • Polyalthia lasioclada I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia lateritia J.Sinclair
  • Polyalthia longipedicellata (Alister, G.Rajkumar, Nazarudeen & Pandur.) Shailaj., B.Parthipan, A.K.Sreekala & E.S.S.Kumar
  • Polyalthia longipes (Miq.) Koord. & Valeton
  • Polyalthia longirostris (Scheff.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia luzonensis B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia malabarica (Bedd.) I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia meghalayensis V.Prakash & Mehrotra
  • Polyalthia microsepala Diels
  • Polyalthia microtus Miq.
  • Polyalthia miliusoides I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia mindorensis Merr.
  • Polyalthia miniata Teijsm. & Binn.
  • Polyalthia minima Jovet-Ast
  • Polyalthia minutiflora Elmer
  • Polyalthia monocarpioides I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia montis-silam D.M.Johnson
  • Polyalthia moonii Thwaites
  • Polyalthia motleyana (Hook.f.) Airy Shaw
  • Polyalthia myristica I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia novoguineensis (H.Okada) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia obliqua Hook.f. & Thomson
  • Polyalthia oblonga King
  • Polyalthia pakdin I.M.Turner & Utteridge
  • Polyalthia parviflora Ridl.
  • Polyalthia persicifolia (Hook.f. & Thomson) Bedd.
  • Polyalthia pisocarpa (Hassk.) I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia polyphlebia Diels
  • Polyalthia praeflorens Bân
  • Polyalthia pumila Ridl.
  • Polyalthia rufescens Hook.f. & Thomson
  • Polyalthia saprosma I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia sessiliflora (Ast) Bân
  • Polyalthia socia Craib
  • Polyalthia spathulata (Teijsm. & Binn.) Boerl.
  • Polyalthia stellata (Heusden) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia stenopetala (Hook.f. & Thomson) Finet & Gagnep.
  • Polyalthia stenophylla I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia subcordata (Blume) Blume
  • Polyalthia suberosa (Roxb.) Thwaites
  • Polyalthia submontana (Jessup) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia suthepensis Wiya & Chaowasku
  • Polyalthia sympetala I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia taweensis Bunchalee & Leerat.
  • Polyalthia tipuliflora D.M.Johnson
  • Polyalthia trochilia I.M.Turner
  • Polyalthia venosa Merr.
  • Polyalthia watui K.M.Wong
  • Polyalthia xanthocarpa B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders
  • Polyalthia yingjiangensis Y.H.Tan & B.Xue

Reassigned to other genera

According to Plants of the World Online, species have been placed in the following genera:

References

References

  1. Polyalthia. Flora of China.
  2. McCann, Charles (1959). 100 Beautiful Trees of India: A Descriptive and Pictorial Handbook. D.B. Taraporevala Sons & Co. Private Ltd. p. 32.
  3. Xue, B., Su, Y. C., Mols, J. B., KEßLER, P. J., & Saunders, R. M. (2011). Further fragmentation of the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae): molecular phylogenetic support for a broader delimitation of Marsypopetalum. Systematics and Biodiversity, 9(1), 17-26.
  4. Xue, B., Su, Y. C. F., Thomas, D. C., & Saunders, R. M. K. (2012). Pruning the polyphyletic genus Polyalthia (Annonaceae) and resurrecting the genus Monoon. Taxon, 61(5), 1021-1039.
  5. "Polyalthia Blume". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  6. Plants of the World Online (POWO): Huberantha cerasoides (Roxb.) Chaowasku (retrieved 4 April 2020)
  7. Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon coffeoides (Thwaites ex Hook.f. & Thomson) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)
  8. Plants of the World Online (POWO): Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders (retrieved 4 April 2020)