Pentanema is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (the daisy family), placed in the tribe Inuleae within the order Asterales. The genus encompasses herbaceous and subshrubby plants distributed across Asia and Africa, and includes species formerly treated under the broad genus Inula before molecular and morphological studies prompted a reclassification that split Inula into several more narrowly defined genera. Members of Pentanema typically bear alternate leaves and produce yellow composite flower heads characteristic of the Inuleae tribe, with both ray and disc florets. The genus comprises roughly 30 recognised species, ranging from European and North African margins into western and central Asia.
Distribution
Pentanema species are native to Asia and Africa, with several species extending into southern and central Europe. The range spans from the Mediterranean basin and North Africa east through the Middle East, Central Asia, and into South Asia.
Taxonomy notes
Pentanema was long treated as synonymous with or subsumed within the broad genus Inula (Asteraceae: Inuleae). Subsequent phylogenetic work supported its recognition as a distinct genus, and many species formerly placed in Inula were recombined into Pentanema with new author citations. The genus is accepted in GBIF within the family Asteraceae, order Asterales.
