Pycnarrhena

Pycnarrhena
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Menispermaceae
Genus:	Pycnarrhena; Miers ex Hook.f. & Thomson
Synonyms
	Antitaxis Miers ; Batania Hatus. ; Gabila Baill. ; Pridania Gagnep. ; Telotia Pierre ;

Pycnarrhena is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Menispermaceae. Its native range is tropical and subtropical Asia to Australia.

Description

All species are either lianes or scrambling shrubs, without spines or barbs. The petioles (leaf stems) are swollen at the base and usually also at the attachment with the leaf blade. The plants are dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Inflorescences appear on the woody stems or in the leaf axils. The fruit are drupes.

Distribution

The species of Pycnarrhena predominantly inhabit rainforests, and are variously native to the following regions as defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions:

Indian subcontinent: Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya
China: China South-Central, Hainan
Indo-China: Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Vietnam
Malesia: Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera
Papuasia: Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Australia: Queensland
Southwestern Pacific: Vanuatu

Taxonomy

Pycnarrhena is placed in the tribe Tiliacoreae of the family Menispermaceae, and is sister to the genera Chondrodendron, Curarea, Carronia, Triclisia, Tiliacora, Beirnaertia, and Albertisia. Pycnarrhena was established in 1855 by botanist John Miers with the sole species P. planiflora.

As of April 2026^[update], Plants of the World Online accepts the following 15 species:

Pycnarrhena calocarpa (Kurz) Diels
Pycnarrhena cauliflora (Miers) Diels
Pycnarrhena fasciculata (Miers) Diels
Pycnarrhena heptandra I.M.Turner
Pycnarrhena insignis (Hatus.) Forman
Pycnarrhena longifolia (Decne. ex Miq.) Becc.
Pycnarrhena lucida (Teijsm. & Binn.) Miq.
Pycnarrhena manillensis S.Vidal
Pycnarrhena montana Backer
Pycnarrhena nodiflora (Pierre) I.M.Turner
Pycnarrhena novoguineensis Miq.
Pycnarrhena ozantha Diels
Pycnarrhena planiflora Miers ex Hook.f. & Thomson
Pycnarrhena poilanei (Gagnep.) Forman
Pycnarrhena tumefacta Miers

References

1 2 3 4 5 "Pycnarrhena Miers ex Hook.f. & Thomson". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
↑ "Pycnarrhena Miers ex Hook.fil. & Thomson". Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-02-13). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
↑ Forman, L.L. (2022). "Pycnarrhena Miers ex Hook.f. & Thomson". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
↑ Forman, L.L. (1984). "Menispermaceae". Flora Malesiana - Series 1, Spermatophyta. 10 (1): 157–253. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
↑ Brummitt, R.K. (2001). World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (PDF) (2nd ed.). International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases For Plant Sciences (TDWG). Retrieved 7 April 2026.
↑ Lian, Lian; Peng, Huan-Wen; Ortiz, Rosa Del C.; Jabbour, Florian; Gao, Tian-Gang; Erst, Andrey S.; Chen, Zhi-Duan; Wang, Wei (2023). "Phylogeny and biogeography of Tiliacoreae (Menispermaceae), a tribe restricted to tropical rainforests". Annals of Botany. 131 (4): 685–695. doi:10.1093/aob/mcad023. PMC 10147334. PMID 36721969.
↑ Hooker, Joseph Dalton; Thomson, Thomas (1855). Flora indica: being a systematic account of the plants of British India. London: W. Pamplin. p. 206.

[POWO-1] 1 2 3 4 5 "Pycnarrhena Miers ex Hook.f. & Thomson". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.

[COL-2] "Pycnarrhena Miers ex Hook.fil. & Thomson". Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-02-13). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.

[FOA-3] Forman, L.L. (2022). "Pycnarrhena Miers ex Hook.f. & Thomson". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 7 April 2026.

[MALESIANA-4] Forman, L.L. (1984). "Menispermaceae". Flora Malesiana - Series 1, Spermatophyta. 10 (1): 157–253. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

[BRUMMIT-5] Brummitt, R.K. (2001). World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (PDF) (2nd ed.). International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases For Plant Sciences (TDWG). Retrieved 7 April 2026.

[LIAN-6] Lian, Lian; Peng, Huan-Wen; Ortiz, Rosa Del C.; Jabbour, Florian; Gao, Tian-Gang; Erst, Andrey S.; Chen, Zhi-Duan; Wang, Wei (2023). "Phylogeny and biogeography of Tiliacoreae (Menispermaceae), a tribe restricted to tropical rainforests". Annals of Botany. 131 (4): 685–695. doi:10.1093/aob/mcad023. PMC 10147334. PMID 36721969.

[FL-INDICA-7] Hooker, Joseph Dalton; Thomson, Thomas (1855). Flora indica: being a systematic account of the plants of British India. London: W. Pamplin. p. 206.