Daphniphyllaceae is a fascinating family of plants that has an interesting story. These plants grow mainly in East Asia and South America and are known for their unique leaves, which resemble those of a laurel. Legend has it that Daphniphyllaceae leaves were used by ancient Chinese emperors to make tea that would give them immortality. However, this claim is unfounded, and the plants have no known medicinal properties. Nevertheless, their striking appearance and intriguing mythology continue to make them popular among garden enthusiasts and botanists.
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Short Description
Daphniphyllum is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Daphniphyllaceae and was described as a genus in 1826. The genus includes evergreen shrubs and trees mainly native to east and southeast Asia, but also found in the Indian Subcontinent and New Guinea.
All species in the family are dioecious, that is male and female flowers are borne on different plants. In older classifications the genus was treated in the family Euphorbiaceae.
Daphniphyllum species are eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the engrailed (Ectropis sp.).
Accepted species
Daphniphyllum atrobadium – Hainan
Daphniphyllum beddomei – Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Daphniphyllum borneense – Borneo
Daphniphyllum buchananiifolium – Philippines
Daphniphyllum calycinum – S China, Vietnam
Daphniphyllum celebense – Sulawesi
Daphniphyllum ceramense – Maluku
Daphniphyllum chartaceum – Himalayas, Myanmar
Daphniphyllum dichotomum – Sabah, Sarawak
Daphniphyllum glaucescens – Peninsular Malaysia, Java, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Is
Daphniphyllum gracile – Sulawesi, New Guinea, Bismarck
Daphniphyllum griffithianum – Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra
Daphniphyllum himalense – Himalayas, Tibet, Yunnan
Daphniphyllum luzonense – Philippines, Lan Yü
Daphniphyllum macropodum – Japan, S China, Korea
Daphniphyllum majus – Yunnan, Indochina
Daphniphyllum neilgherrense – S India, Sri Lanka
Daphniphyllum papuanum – New Guinea
Daphniphyllum parvifolium – Luzon
Daphniphyllum paxianum – Sichuan, Yunnan, Guanxi, Laos
Daphniphyllum pentandrum – S China, Indochina
Daphniphyllum scortechinii – Perak
Daphniphyllum subverticillatum – Guangdong
Daphniphyllum sumatraense – Sumatra
Daphniphyllum teijsmannii – Japan, Jeju-do, Nansei-shoto
Daphniphyllum timorianum – Timor
Daphniphyllum woodsonianum – Sumatra
Daphniphyllum yunnanense – Yunnan
Synonyms
Daphniphyllum humile Maxim. ex Franch. & Sav. (Daphniphyllum macropodum)
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