Ardisia

{{short description|Genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Ardisia crenata6.jpg

|image_caption = Ardisia crenata

|taxon = Ardisia

|authority = Sw.

|type_species = Ardisia tinifolia

|type_species_authority = Sw.

|subdivision_ranks = Species

|subdivision = Over 700, see list of Ardisia species

|synonyms = {{species list

|Afrardisia|Mez

|Amatlania|Lundell

|Auriculardisia|Lundell

|Bladhia|Thunb.

|Chontalesia|Lundell

|Climacandra|Miq.

|Graphardisia|(Mez) Lundell

|Icacorea|Aubl.

|Niara|Dennst. ex Kostel.

|Oerstedianthus|Lundell

|Pimelandra|A. DC.

|Pyrgus|Lour.

|Stigmatococca|Willd. ex Schult. & Schult. f.

}}

}}

Ardisia (coralberry or marlberry) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was in the former Myrsinaceae family now recognised as the myrsine sub-family Myrsinoideae.{{Cite journal |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2009 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages= 116 (105–121) |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x |doi-access=free |hdl=10654/18083 |hdl-access=free }} They are distributed in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, mainly in the tropics.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=102511 Ardisia.] Flora of North America.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=102511 Ardisia.] Flora of China. There are over 700 accepted species. One species, Ardisia japonica is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine.

These are trees, shrubs, and subshrubs. Most have alternately arranged leaves. Flowers are borne in many forms of inflorescence. The flowers have usually 4 or 5 green sepals and a bell-shaped corolla of usually 4 or 5 white or pink petals. The fruit is a somewhat fleshy drupe. The defining characteristic of the genus is the small tube formed at the center of the flower by the stamens, which are joined at their bases.Pipoly, J. J. and J. M. Ricketson. (2005). [https://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3393416?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102571109741 New species and nomenclatural notes in Mesoamerican Ardisia (Myrsinaceae).] Novon 15(1), 190-201.

Several Ardisia species are the sources of the chemical compounds known as ardisiaquinones.{{Cite book | doi = 10.1016/B978-0-12-819483-6.00008-4 | chapter = Natural products as antiinflammatory agents | title = Bioactive Natural Products | series = Studies in Natural Products Chemistry | year = 2020 | last1 = Narayanaswamy | first1 = Radhakrishnan | last2 = Veeraragavan | first2 = Vijayakumar | volume = 67 | pages = 269–306 | isbn = 9780128194836 | s2cid = 224940163 }}