Ardisia

Ardisia (coralberry or marlberry) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was in the former Myrsinaceae family now recognised as the myrsine sub-family Myrsinoideae. They are distributed in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, mainly in the tropics. There are over 700 accepted species. One species, Ardisia japonica is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine.

These are trees, shrubs, and subshrubs. Most have alternately arranged leaves. Flowers are borne in many forms of inflorescence. The flowers have usually 4 or 5 green sepals and a bell-shaped corolla of usually 4 or 5 white or pink petals. The fruit is a somewhat fleshy drupe. The defining characteristic of the genus is the small tube formed at the center of the flower by the stamens, which are joined at their bases.

Several Ardisia species are the sources of the chemical compounds known as ardisiaquinones.

Species
Selected species include: • Ardisia amplexicaulis Bedd.

• Ardisia blatteri Gamble

• Ardisia brittonii Stearn

• Ardisia brunnescens E.Walker

• Ardisia byrsonimae Stearn

• Ardisia crenata Sims

• Ardisia crispa (Thunb.) A.DC.

• Ardisia darienensis Lundell

• Ardisia dukei Lundell

• Ardisia elliptica Thunb.

• Ardisia escallonioides Schltdl. & Cham.

• Ardisia etindensis Taton

• Ardisia flavida Pipoly

• Ardisia furfuracella Standl.

• Ardisia gardneri C.B.Clarke

• Ardisia geniculata Lundell

• Ardisia glomerata Lundell

• Ardisia hagenii Lundell

• Ardisia helferiana Kurz.

• Ardisia humilis Vahl

• Ardisia jamaicensis Lundell

• Ardisia javanica A.DC.

• Ardisia jefeana Lundell

• Ardisia koupensis Taton

• Ardisia marginata Blume

• Ardisia maxonii Standl.

• Ardisia nigrita Lundell

• Ardisia olivacea E.Walker

• Ardisia opaca Lundell

• Ardisia panamensis Lundell

• Ardisia paradoxa C.M.Hu & J.E.Vidal

• Ardisia premontana Pipoly

• Ardisia primulifolia Gardner & Champ.

• Ardisia pulverulenta Mez

• Ardisia roseiflora Pit.

• Ardisia rudis J.Sinclair

• Ardisia scheryi Lundell

• Ardisia schlechteri Gilg

• Ardisia schultzei Mez

• Ardisia scortechinii King & Gamble

• Ardisia solanacea Roxb.

• Ardisia solida B.C.Stone

• Ardisia sonchifolia Mez

• Ardisia standleyana P.H.Allen

• Ardisia subsessilifolia Lundell

• Ardisia thomsonii Mez

• Ardisia urbanii Stearn

• Ardisia websteri Pipoly

• Ardisia wightiana (A.DC.) Wall. ex Mez

• Ardisia willisii Mez

• Ardisia zeylanica (Gaertn.) Lam. ex Forsyth f.