Sterculioideae

Sterculioideae is a subfamily of the family Malvaceae containing evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs.

Taxonomy
A 2006 molecular study indicated the Sterculioideae was most likely to be a monophyletic group, and that it had four major clades within it. However, the relationships between the clades were not resolved.

The clades consist of a:
 * Cola clade, with the genera Cola and Octolobus of Africa and Pterygota of Africa, South America and southeast Asia forming a subclade, Hildegardia and Firmiana forming a second and Scaphium and Pterocymbium a third.
 * Heritiera clade comprising the genus Heritiera
 * Sterculia clade comprising the large genus Sterculia of Australasia and Asia.
 * Brachychiton clade of Australasian and New Caledonian species, including Brachychiton, Acropogon, Argyrodendron and Franciscodendron.