Buchanania
Buchanania is a genus of plants in the mango and cashew family Anacardiaceae, native to areas from India to southern China, and southwards to northern Australia and the western Pacific.
Description
This genus consists of trees with, unlobed leaves arranged alternately on the twigs. Flowers are produced in or terminal panicles. Flowers are bisexual, i.e. they have both male and female organs. They usually have 5 lobes and 5 petals, sometimes 4 or 6, and are pale green to white. There are 10 stamens and 4–6 carpels, only one of which is fertile. Fruits are more or less lens-shaped drupes with a bony or woody, and contain a single seed. Unlike other genera in the family, Buchanania does not appear to cause contact dermatitis.Taxonomy
The genus Buchanania was erected in 1801 by German botanist Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel based on a collection of plant material by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton from what is now Myanmar. The genus was named after the collector.Distribution
The genus is native to areas from South and Southeast Asia, extending to northern Australia and the western Pacific. The full distribution is as follows:Indian subcontinent: Assam, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, West HimalayaChina & East Asia: China South-Central, Hainan, Taiwan, Indo-China: Andaman Is., Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nicobar Is., Thailand, VietnamMalesia: Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, SumateraPapuasia: Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Is.Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, Western AustraliaWestern Pacific: Caroline Is., Fiji, Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., VanuatuSpecies
, Plants of the World Online recognises 26 species in the genus, as follows:- Buchanania abrahamiana – India
- Buchanania amboinensis – Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
- Buchanania arborescens – India, Taiwan, tropical Asia, northern Australia, western Pacific
- Buchanania attenuata – Santa Cruz Islands, Fiji
- Buchanania axillaris – India, Sri Lanka
- Buchanania barberi – India
- Buchanania engleriana – Caroline Islands
- Buchanania evrardii – Cambodia
- Buchanania ferruginea – India
- Buchanania glabra – India, Indo-China
- Buchanania insignis – Borneo, Philippines
- Buchanania lanceolata – southwestern India, Myanmar
- Buchanania lancifolia – Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- Buchanania lanzan – Indian subcontinent, southern China, Indo-China
- Buchanania macrocarpa – Maluku Islands, Papuasia
- Buchanania mangoides – Queensland
- Buchanania merrillii – Samoa
- Buchanania microphylla – Hainan, Philippines
- Buchanania nitida – Philippines, Maluku Islands
- Buchanania obovata – northern Australia
- Buchanania palawensis – Palau
- Buchanania reticulata – Indo-China
- Buchanania sessifolia – Assam, Indo-China, western Malesia
- Buchanania siamensis – Indo-China
- Buchanania splendens – Andaman Islands & Nicobar Islands, Sumatra, Borneo
- Buchanania vitiensis – Fiji
Formerly placed here
The following names were previously recognised as species of Buchanania.- Buchanania cochinchinensis – now Glycosmis cochinchinensis
- Buchanania yunnanensis – now Spondias pinnata
- Buchanania zeylanica – now ''Mangifera zeylanica''