Thymelaeaceae

The Thymelaeaceae /ˌθɪmɪliːˈeɪsiː/ are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants composed of 50 genera (listed below) and 898 species. It was established in 1789 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu. The Thymelaeaceae are mostly trees and shrubs, with a few vines and herbaceous plants. The family is more diverse in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern, with major concentrations of species in Africa and Australia. The genera are overwhelmingly African. Several genera are of economic importance. Gonystylus (Ramin) is valued for its comparatively soft, easily worked yellowish wood, but trade in all species in the genus are controlled by CITES. The bark of Edgeworthia and Wikstroemia is used as a component of paper, while Lagetta species are known as lacebark for their lacelike inner bark, which has been used to make clothing and utilitarian objects. Daphne is grown for its sweetly scented flowers. Species of Wikstroemia, Daphne, Phaleria, Dais, Pimelea and other genera are grown as ornamentals. Many of the species are poisonous if eaten. Herber (2003) recognized 45 genera, excluding Tepuianthus from the family, sinking Atemnosiphon and Englerodaphne into Gnidia, Eriosolena into Daphne, and Thecanthes into Pimelea. The largest genera and the approximate number of species in each are Gnidia (160), Pimelea (110), Daphne (95), Wikstroemia (70), Daphnopsis (65), Struthiola (35), Lachnaea (30), Thymelaea (30), Phaleria (30), and Gonystylus (25). As of December 2014, 50 genera are accepted by the World Checklist of Thymelaceae: In the past, different authors have defined Thymelaeaceae in different ways. For example, John Hutchinson excluded Gonystylus and its close relatives, as well as Aquilaria and its close relatives from the family, forming 2 segregate families: Gonystylaceae and Aquilariaceae. But today, the only controversy that still remains over the circumscription of the family is the question of whether Tepuianthus should be included, or segregated as a separate, monogeneric family. Stevens includes Tepuianthus, but Kubitzki treats Tepuianthaceae as a separate family.