Colliguaja is a genus of flowering shrubs in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, placed in the order Malpighiales. The genus was first described in 1782 and is native to temperate South America, with species distributed across Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
GBIF's Backbone Taxonomy recognizes five accepted species in the genus: Colliguaja brasiliensis (Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay), C. dombeyana (southern Chile), C. integerrima (southern Chile, western Argentina), C. odorifera (northern and central Chile), and C. salicifolia (central Chile). This matches the species enumerated on Wikipedia's genus page.
The genus's circumscription has narrowed over time: Colliguaja patagonica, once included in Colliguaja, has since been reclassified into the segregate genus Spegazziniophytum, as Spegazziniophytum patagonicum.
Distribution
Colliguaja is native to temperate South America. Individual species are distributed across Chile (all five species occur there), western Argentina (C. integerrima), southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay (C. brasiliensis).
Taxonomy Notes
Colliguaja was first described as a genus in 1782 and is placed in the family Euphorbiaceae, order Malpighiales (per GBIF). One species formerly included in the genus, Colliguaja patagonica, has since been transferred to the segregate genus Spegazziniophytum as Spegazziniophytum patagonicum.
