Loeselia is a genus of flowering plants in the phlox family Polemoniaceae, placed in the order Ericales. The genus was established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum, where he named it in honour of German botanist Johannes Loesel.
The genus comprises roughly 30–36 accepted species of shrubs and subshrubs characterised by tubular to salverform flowers typical of the Polemoniaceae. Its distribution is centred on Mexico and Central America, extending north into the southwestern United States and south into Colombia and Venezuela. A notable centre of endemism lies in the Balsas Depression of southwestern Mexico, where several species occur nowhere else.
Species in this genus include Loeselia mexicana, L. glandulosa, L. coerulea, L. ciliata, and L. greggii, among others. The genus belongs to Polemoniaceae, a family that also includes the well-known genera Phlox and Polemonium.
Etymology
The genus name Loeselia honours Johannes Loesel (1607–1655), a German botanist and physician. The name was applied by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753).
Distribution
Loeselia is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela. The Balsas Depression of southwestern Mexico is a particular centre of diversity, with several species endemic to that region.
