Leea
Leea is a genus of plants in the family Vitaceae, subfamily Leeoideae, that are native to parts of central Africa, tropical Asia, Australia and Melanesia.
Description
Plants in this genus are shrubs or small trees. Leaves are arranged alternately on either side of the branches, and are compound. Stipules are characteristic. Inflorescences are, flowers have four or five petals and sepals. The fruits are berries containing up to six seeds.Unlike the rest of the Vitaceae species, they are not climbers and do not have tendrils.
Taxonomy
It was previously placed in its own family, Leeaceae, based on morphological differences between it and other Vitaceae genera. These differences include ovule number per locule, carpel number, and the absence or presence of a staminoidal tube and floral disc. Pollen structure has also been examined for taxonomic demarcation, although a 1968 study of pollen morphology by Ion Teofil Tarnavschi and E. Petria concluded that Leeaceae and Vitaceae should remain separate families, while a 1966 study by Otto Gunnar Elias Erdtman concluded that Leea should be included in Vitaceae.Etymology
The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus after James Lee, the Scottish nurseryman based in Hammersmith, London who introduced many new plant discoveries to England at the end of the 18th century.Distribution
It is native to areas from Africa, through south and eastern Asia to Australia and the western Pacific. The World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions lists the countries/regions as follows:- Northeast Tropical Africa: Sudan
- South Tropical Africa: Angola, Malawi, Zambia
- East Tropical Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
- West Tropical Africa: Benin, Burkina, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
- West-Central Tropical Africa: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands
- Western Indian Ocean: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion
- China: China South-Central, China Southeast, Tibet
- Eastern Asia: Hainan, Taiwan
- Indian subcontinent: Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Laccadive Islands, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Himalaya
- Indo-China: Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Vietnam
- Malesia: Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Christmas Islands
- Papuasia: Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
- Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland
- Southwestern Pacific: Fiji, Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu
- Northwestern Pacific: Caroline Islands
Ecology
Species
accepts the following 45 species in this genus as of 2025.- Leea aculeata
- Leea acuminatissima
- Leea adwivedica
- Leea aequata
- Leea alata
- Leea amabilis
- Leea angulata
- Leea asiatica
- Leea coccinea
- Leea compactiflora
- Leea congesta
- Leea coryphantha
- Leea curtisii
- Leea cuspidifera
- Leea dentata
- Leea glabra
- Leea gonioptera
- Leea grandifolia
- Leea guineensis
- Leea heterodoxa
- Leea indica
- Leea javanica
- Leea krukoffiana
- Leea longifoliola
- Leea macrophylla
- Leea macropus
- Leea magnifolia
- Leea manillensis
- Leea nova-guineensis
- Leea papuana
- Leea philippinensis
- Leea quadrifida
- Leea rubra
- Leea saxatilis
- Leea setuligera
- Leea simplicifolia
- Leea smithii
- Leea spinea
- Leea suaveolens
- Leea tetramera
- Leea thorelii
- Leea tinctoria
- Leea tuberculosemen
- Leea unifoliolata
- ''Leea zippeliana''