Maesa is a genus of approximately 184 accepted species of flowering plants belonging to the family Primulaceae, order Ericales. It is the sole genus of the subfamily Maesoideae, making that subfamily monotypic at the genus level. The genus has a complex taxonomic history: it was long treated in the family Myrsinaceae and has also been segregated into its own family, Maesaceae, before molecular phylogenetic studies placed it firmly within Primulaceae.
Members of the genus grow as vines, shrubs, and small trees reaching up to 12 meters in height. The genus is distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, with the greatest diversity concentrated in Malesia, New Guinea, western Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
Distribution
The approximately 184 species of Maesa are native to tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Ocean region. Species diversity is highest in Malesia, New Guinea, western Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
Taxonomy Notes
Maesa has undergone significant reclassification. Historically placed in Myrsinaceae, it was at times treated as the sole genus of its own family, Maesaceae. Modern molecular phylogenetics places it in Primulaceae as the sole genus of subfamily Maesoideae, a position reflected in current APG treatments.
