Stackhousia is a genus of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family Celastraceae (order Celastrales), comprising around 20 accepted species. The genus was first described by the English botanist James Edward Smith in 1798, in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.
Plants in the genus are native primarily to Australia, which holds the great majority of species, with a smaller number extending to New Zealand, Malesia, and Micronesia. Members of Stackhousia grow as herbs — both annual and perennial — and include well-known species such as Stackhousia monogyna (commonly called Creamy candles or creamy stackhousia) and Stackhousia viminea (Slender stackhousia).
Historically, the genus gave its name to the family Stackhousiaceae; under the APG II classification system that family was subsumed into the broader Celastraceae, where Stackhousia now resides.
Distribution
Stackhousia is native to Australia (where most species occur), New Zealand, Malesia, and Micronesia. The genus shows its greatest diversity across the Australian continent.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was described by James Edward Smith in 1798 (Trans. Linn. Soc. 4: 218). It was formerly the type genus of the family Stackhousiaceae, which was sunk into Celastraceae under the APG II system. GBIF places it in order Celastrales, class Magnoliopsida, phylum Tracheophyta, kingdom Plantae.
