Deinbollia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae, within the order Sapindales. The genus was described by Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher and Peter Thonning in 1827. Plants of the World Online places roughly three to four dozen accepted species in the genus (Wikipedia's checklist names 39; GBIF's backbone records 60 descendant taxa, a figure that includes synonyms and infraspecific names alongside accepted species).
The genus is native to tropical and Southern Africa and to islands of the western Indian Ocean, a range that spans continental sub-Saharan habitats through to Madagascar and neighbouring archipelagos. Individual species occur in varied settings across this range, from coastal dune vegetation — as with the South African species Deinbollia oblongifolia, known locally as the "Dune Soap-berry" — to inland forest.
The genus name commemorates Peter Vogelius Deinboll (1783–1874), a Danish-Norwegian clergyman, parliamentary representative and entomologist, reflecting the nineteenth-century convention of naming new genera in honour of naturalists and collectors of the period.
Etymology
The genus name Deinbollia honours Peter Vogelius Deinboll (1783–1874), a Danish-Norwegian priest, parliamentary representative and entomologist. It was published by Schumacher & Thonning in 1827.
Distribution
Deinbollia is native to tropical and Southern Africa and to islands in the western Indian Ocean. Species in the genus include D. oblongifolia, found along coastal dunes in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Taxonomy Notes
Deinbollia Schumach. & Thonn. sits in the family Sapindaceae, order Sapindales. It was first published in 1827 (Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Naturvidensk. Math. Afh. 4: 16). Wikipedia's species checklist (sourced to Plants of the World Online) names 39 species; the GBIF backbone records 60 descendant taxa for the genus, a broader figure that also includes synonyms and infraspecific names.
