| Gnidia | |
|---|---|
![]()  | |
| Gnidia tomentosa | |
| Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae | 
| Clade: | Tracheophytes | 
| Clade: | Angiosperms | 
| Clade: | Eudicots | 
| Clade: | Rosids | 
| Order: | Malvales | 
| Family: | Thymelaeaceae | 
| Subfamily: | Thymelaeoideae | 
| Genus: | Gnidia L.  | 
| Species | |
| 
 140-160, see text  | |
Gnidia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is distributed in Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, India, and Sri Lanka; more than half of all the species are endemic to South Africa.[1] Gnidia was named for Knidos, an Ancient Greek city located in modern-day Turkey.[2]
These are perennial herbs and shrubs, sometimes with rhizomes. Most species have alternately arranged leaves, and a few have opposite leaves. The leaves are undivided and unlobed. The inflorescence is a head of a few to many flowers. The calyx is cylindrical and the colored lobes may alternate with the petals; some species lack petals.[2] Many species are similar in appearance and difficult to tell apart.[3]
Molecular analyses have provided evidence that the genus is polyphyletic, made up of four different lineages. They are related to the four genera Struthiola, Drapetes, Lasiosiphon, and Pimelea.[4]
There are 140 to 160 species classified in the genus.[1][2][5]
Species include:


- Gnidia anthylloides
 - Gnidia burchellii
 - Gnidia caffra
 - Gnidia capitata
 - Gnidia carinata
 - Gnidia chapmanii
 - Gnidia chrysantha
 - Gnidia chrysophylla
 - Gnidia ericoides
 - Gnidia fastigiata
 - Gnidia humilis
 - Gnidia insignis
 - Gnidia involucrata
 - Gnidia kraussiana
 - Gnidia latifolia
 - Gnidia microcephala
 - Gnidia mollis
 - Gnidia nana
 - Gnidia ornata
 - Gnidia pedunculata
 - Gnidia polycephala
 - Gnidia razakamalalana[1]
 - Gnidia socotrana
 - Gnidia sonderiana
 - Gnidia spicata
 - Gnidia squarrosa
 - Gnidia usafuae
 - Gnidia variabilis
 - Gnidia virescens
 - Gnidia wickstroemiana
 
References
- 1 2 3 Rogers, Z. S. (2006). A new species of Malagasy Gnidia and the lectotypification of Octolepis decalepis (Thymelaeaceae). Adansonia, sér. 3(28), 155-60.
 - 1 2 3 Hyde, M. A., et al. Gnidia. Flora of Zimbabwe. 2013.
 - ↑ Beaumont, A. J., et al. (2001). Patterns of diversity among involucral bracts, inflorescences and flowers in Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae). Systematics and Geography of Plants 71(2), 419-31.
 - ↑ Beaumont, A. J., et al. (2009). Gnidia (Thymelaeaceae) is not monophyletic: taxonomic implications for Thymelaeoideae and a partial new generic taxonomy for Gnidia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 160(4), 402-17. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00988.x
 - ↑ Bhandurge, P., et al. (2013). The Gnidia genus: A review. Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences 3(19), 1-31.
 
External links
- Species listing: Gnidia. Red List of South African Plants. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
 
