Asemeia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygalaceae (the milkwort family), placed within the order Fabales. The genus contains approximately 36 species of annual and perennial herbs distributed across the tropical and subtropical Americas, ranging from the southeastern United States and Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to northern Argentina.
As members of Polygalaceae, Asemeia plants share the characteristic zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical), hermaphrodite flowers of the family. Flowers typically have five sepals, three to five petals, and usually eight stamens arranged in two series. Leaves are generally alternate. The fruit can take the form of a capsule, samara, or drupe depending on the species.
Asemeia belongs to the tribe Polygaleae within Polygalaceae, a tribe that includes the large genus Polygala (the milkworts, from which the family takes its name), as well as related genera such as Badiera, Monnina, Securidaca, and Rhinotropis. The genus was named by the American botanist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. One of the better-known members is Asemeia grandiflora, found in wetland and scrub habitats in Florida and elsewhere in its range, including Everglades National Park.
Distribution
Asemeia species are native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, with a range extending from the southeastern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and into tropical South America as far south as northern Argentina.
Taxonomy Notes
Asemeia was placed by Rafinesque and belongs to the tribe Polygaleae within Polygalaceae, a family currently assigned to the order Fabales under the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification. The genus was previously treated under Polygala or related segregate genera; its circumscription and species count have been revised in modern phylogenetic treatments, with Plants of the World Online recognizing approximately 36 species as of 2024.
