Mackaya is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, disjunctly distributed in South Africa and the eastern Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and China.[2] It is sister to Asystasia.[3]

Mackaya
Mackaya bella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Subfamily: Acanthoideae
Tribe: Justicieae
Genus: Mackaya
Harv. (1859), nom. cons.[1]
Species

5, see text

Species

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Currently accepted species include:[2]

Cultivation

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Some species are cultivated as ornamental plants. Mackaya bella from South Africa, a small evergreen shrub with purple-veined white flowers, has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4] It is only hardy down to 10 °C (50 °F), so in temperate zones requires protection during the winter months.

References

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  1. ^ Thes. Cap. 1: 8 (1859)
  2. ^ a b "Mackaya Kuntze". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  3. ^ Deng, Yunfei; Wu (Wu Chengyih), Zhengyi (2009). "A New Combination in Mackaya (Acanthaceae), with Lectotypification for Mackaya tapingensis". Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature. 19 (3): 307–309. doi:10.3417/2007009. S2CID 83547610.
  4. ^ "Mackaya bella". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 10 November 2020.