Distimake is a genus of flowering plants in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, placed in the order Solanales. The genus is native to the tropics and subtropics, with species distributed across Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
Members of Distimake are herbaceous to somewhat woody, perennial vines that twine or creep along the ground and over other vegetation. The leaves are compound, with 3–7 leaflets arranged palmately (radiating from a single point atop the petiole). Stems are often hairy. Inflorescences are typically few-flowered; flowers have funnel- to bell-shaped corollas. Fruits are spherical to slightly angular capsules containing a small number of dark seeds.
The genus was originally established in 1838 by the self-educated French-American naturalist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in his book Flora Telluriana, based on a specimen from Guyana. The genus was largely overlooked until a major molecular, morphological, and palynological study by Ana Rita Simões and George Staples in 2017, which greatly expanded Distimake by transferring species previously placed in Merremia and the genus Davenportia into it. Many species that were widely known as woodroses under Merremia — such as the Egyptian woodrose, now Distimake aegyptius — are now treated under Distimake.
Species in the genus tend to grow in disturbed habitats, roadsides, and open or secondary vegetation across the tropics. The genus belongs to the tribe Merremieae within the subfamily Convolvuloideae.
Etymology
The genus name Distimake was coined by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1838 in his self-published work Flora Telluriana. Rafinesque described the genus as having "the corolla of Ipomoea and stigmas of Nemostema," with the type specimen collected from Guyana. The origin of the name itself is attributed to Rafinesque's idiosyncratic nomenclatural style; it does not appear to derive from a classical Latin or Greek root that has been formally documented.
Distribution
Distimake species are native to the tropics and subtropics, occurring across Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Individual species such as Distimake aegyptius are found nearly throughout the world's tropics, avoiding only drier regions and high elevations. Species tend to grow in disturbed or anthropized environments, including roadsides and open secondary vegetation.
Taxonomy Notes
Distimake was first described by Rafinesque in 1838 but remained obscure for nearly two centuries. In 2017, Ana Rita Simões and George Staples published a revision based on molecular, morphological, and palynological data, transferring a number of species from Merremia sensu lato and the genus Davenportia into an expanded Distimake. This placed the genus in the tribe Merremieae, subfamily Convolvuloideae, within the family Convolvulaceae (order Solanales). Many species formerly known as "woodroses" under Merremia are now included in Distimake.
