Nama is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants placed in the family Namaceae, or within a broadly circumscribed Boraginaceae, in the order Boraginales. The genus comprises roughly 19 accepted species, the majority of which are native to western North America, where many grow in arid and semi-arid habitats. Plants in the genus are commonly known as "fiddleleaf," a name that alludes to the fiddle-shaped or spoon-shaped leaves characteristic of several species.
The genus has a somewhat complicated nomenclatural history. Carl Linnaeus applied the name Nama twice: first in 1753, designating Nama zeylanica as the type, and again in 1759 with Nama jamaicensis as the type species. The later name has been conserved under the International Code of Nomenclature, while the earlier application is now treated under the genus Hydrolea. There has also been discussion about the grammatical gender of Nama: the Greek root νᾶμα (náma) is neuter, but the genus has traditionally been treated as feminine since A. P. de Candolle in 1846, and feminine gender is considered automatically conserved.
Etymology
The genus name Nama derives from the Greek νᾶμα (náma), meaning "flowing water." Although the Greek noun is grammatically neuter, the genus has traditionally been treated as feminine since A. P. de Candolle's treatment in 1846, and this feminine gender is considered automatically conserved under botanical nomenclatural rules.
Distribution
Most species of Nama are native to western North America, where they grow across arid and semi-arid regions. The genus has a limited number of accepted species — approximately 19 per GBIF — reflecting its relatively concentrated range.
Taxonomy Notes
Carl Linnaeus applied the genus name Nama twice: in 1753 for Nama zeylanica (the type species of what is now Hydrolea) and in 1759 for Nama jamaicensis. Under the International Code of Nomenclature, the 1759 usage has been conserved, and the 1753 application is now placed in Hydrolea. GBIF places Nama in the family Namaceae, order Boraginales, though some broader treatments include Namaceae within Boraginaceae.
