Flabellaria
Flabellaria is a genus in the Malpighiaceae, a family of about 75 genera of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales. Flabellaria includes one variable species, Flabellaria paniculata.
Etymology
The genus name Flabellaria comes from the Latin word flabellum meaning small fan, referring to the shape of the samara. This name was given by Cavanilles in 1790.
Synonyms
Triaspis flabellaria A.Juss.Triopterys pinnata Poir.
The name Flabellaria was also given by Sternberg in 1821 to unrelated fossil palm leaves. That genus with the same name is known in the fossil record from the Cretaceous to the Eocene.
Description
Flabellaria paniculata, the only living species in this genus, can reach a length of. These plants are woody vine, with paniculate, lateral and terminal inflorescences up to 20 cm. long. Flowers are radially symmetrical, about 1 centimeter in diameter, with white and spatulate petals.
Distribution and habitat
Flabellaria paniculata is widely distributed in equatorial Africa in thickets, woodlands, and forests, especially along rivers, at elevations of.