Parsonsia


Parsonsia is a genus of woody vines in the family Apocynaceae. Species occur throughout Indomalaya, Australasia and Melanesia.

Description

The leaves are opposite, the shape and size of juvenile leaves often bearing little resemblance to the adult leaves. The latex may be clear and colourless, pale yellow or milky white.
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.

Taxonomy

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. He named the genus in honour of James Parsons, an English physician and Fellow of the Royal Society.
The generic name Parsonsia R.Br. 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.
Parsonsia is closely related to Artia and Prestonia.

Species

Accepted species
;formerly included
  1. Parsonsia balansae Baill. = Artia balansae Pichon ex Guillaumin
  2. Parsonsia barbata Blume = Parameria laevigata Moldenke
  3. Parsonsia brachycarpa Baill. = Artia brachycarpa Boiteau
  4. Parsonsia bracteata Hook. & Arn. = Mandevilla pentlandiana Woodson
  5. Parsonsia corymbosa R.Br. ex Steud. = Pinochia corymbosa M.E.Endress & B.F.Hansen
  6. Parsonsia diversifolia Markgr. = Lyonsia diversifolia Warb.
  7. Parsonsia floribunda R.Br. ex Steud. = Pinochia floribunda M.E.Endress & B.F.Hansen
  8. Parsonsia francii Guillaumin = Artia francii Pichon
  9. Parsonsia galeottiana Baill. = Thenardia galeottiana Baill.
  10. Parsonsia javanica Blume 1826 not K. Schum 1895 = Urceola javanica Boerl.
  11. Parsonsia leptocarpa Hook. & Arn. = Forsteronia leptocarpa A.DC.
  12. Parsonsia lifuana Baill. = Artia lifuana Pichon ex Guillaumin
  13. Parsonsia myrtifolia Roem. & Schult. = Landolphia myrtifolia Markgr.
  14. Parsonsia ovata Wall. ex G.Don = Pottsia laxiflora Kuntze
  15. Parsonsia spicata R.Br. ex Steud. = Forsteronia spicata G.Mey.

    Cultivation

A species from New Zealand, Parsonsia variablis, 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". This species is thought to be a form of Parsonsia heterophylla.