Mackaya | |
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Mackaya bella | |
Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Acanthaceae |
Subfamily: | Acanthoideae |
Tribe: | Justicieae |
Genus: |
Mackaya Harv. (1859), nom. cons. [1] |
Species | |
5, see text |
Mackaya is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, disjunctly distributed in South Africa and the eastern Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and China. [2] It is sister to Asystasia. [3]
Currently accepted species include: [2]
Some species are cultivated as ornamental plants. Mackaya bella from South Africa, a small evergreen shrub with purple-veined white flowers, has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [4] It is only hardy down to 10 °C (50 °F), so in temperate zones requires protection during the winter months.