Phaleria is a flowering plant genus of about 25 species in the family Thymelaeaceae, which range from Sri Lanka to Malesia, Papuasia, northern and eastern Australia, and islands of the western Pacific.
Uses Phaleria macrocarpa is known to produce agarwood. Phaleria nisidai, locally known in Palau as delal a kar, 'the mother of medicines', is used as a panacea by Palauans.
Species , Plants of the World Online accepts the following 25 species:
Phaleria acuminata – Fiji, American Samoa, Tonga, Western Samoa Phaleria angustifolia – Fiji Phaleria biflora – Queensland Phaleria capitata – Sri Lanka, Palau, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Philippines, Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea Phaleria chermsideana – Queensland, New South Wales Phaleria clerodendron – Queensland Phaleria coccinea – New Guinea, New Britain, Moluccas, Philippines Phaleria disperma – Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna Phaleria elegans – New Guinea endemic Phaleria glabra – Fiji, Tonga Phaleria ixoroides – Fiji Phaleria lanceolata – Fiji Phaleria longituba – New Guinea Phaleria macrocarpa – New Guinea, Northern Territory Phaleria montana – Fiji Phaleria nisidae – Palau, New Britain, New Guinea Phaleria octandra – New Guinea, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Islands, Java, Northern Territory, Queensland Phaleria okapensis – New Guinea (Papua) Phaleria pentecostalis – Vanuatu Phaleria perrottetiana – New Guinea, Moluccas, Borneo, Philippines Phaleria pilistyla – New Guinea (Papua) Phaleria pubiflora – Fiji Phaleria pulchra – Fiji Phaleria sogerensis – New Guinea Phaleria stevensiana – Sulawesi
Taxonomy and phylogeny Phylogenetic analysis shows that Phaleria'''s closest related genus is Dais, both of which are members of the Thymelaeoideae subfamily of the Thymelaeaceae family which contains 941 species in 48 different genera according to the Catalogue of Life. The next closest related genera is a clade containing Gnidia, Stephanodaphne, Dirca, Ovidia, Peddiea, Pimelea, Struthiola, Lachnaea, Passerina, and Passerina''.
References