Kosteletzkya
| Kosteletzkya | |
|---|---|
| Kosteletzkya pentacarpos | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Subfamily: | Malvoideae |
| Tribe: | Hibisceae |
| Genus: | Kosteletzkya C.Presl |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Kosteletzkya is a genus of the plant family Malvaceae that includes the seashore mallow (K. pentacarpos). It includes about 27 species found worldwide.
Although similar in appearance to Hibiscus, Kosteletzkya typically bears more flattened capsules that dehisce loculicidally. The genus was separated from Hibiscus in 1835 by Carl Borivoj Presl, who named it after Vincenz Franz Kosteletzky (1801–1887).
Phylogenetic evidence supports this genus being polyphyletic, with New World and Malagasy species of Kosteletzkya belonging to completely different clades within the Hibisceae. Under a revised nomenclature, only New World species would retain the genus name Kosteletzkya. An alternate revision would be to merge all New World Kosteletzkya species into Hibiscus.