Maesa

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in Primrose family (Primulaceae)}}{{Other uses}}{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Maesa japonica in Koishikawa gardens.jpg

|image_caption = Maesa japonica

|parent_authority = A.DC.

|taxon = Maesa

|authority = Forssk. (1775)

|subdivision_ranks = Species

|subdivision = 184, see text

|subdivision_ref = [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:27330-1 Maesa Forssk.] Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

|type_species=Maesa lanceolata

|type_species_authority = Forrsk.

|synonyms =

• Baeobotrys {{small|J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (1776)}}
• Cistula {{small|Noronha (1790), nom. nud.}}
• Dartus {{small|Lour. (1790)}}
• Doraena {{small|Thunb. (1783)}}
• Siburatia {{small|Thouars (1806)}}

|synonyms_ref =

|}}

File:Maesa indica 02.JPG]]

Maesa is a genus of flowering plants. It is placed in the family Primulaceae, subfamily Maesoideae, for which it is the sole genus (monotypic).[http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Primulaceae/Maesa/ Maesa.] The Plant List. Previously it was placed in Myrsinaceae, or in a family of its own, Maesaceae.Kallersjo, M., Bergqvist, G., & Anderberg, A. A. (2000). [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arne_Anderberg/publication/12331069_Generic_realignment_in_primuloid_families_of_the_Ericales_s.l._a_phylogenetic_analysis_based_on_DNA_sequences_from_three_chloroplast_genes_and_morphology/links/54343e090cf2bf1f1f27bd18.pdf Generic realignment in primuloid families of the Ericales s.l.: A phylogenetic analysis based on DNA sequences from three chloroplast genes and morphology.] American Journal of Botany, 1325-1341.Caris, P., et al. (2000). [http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/86/1/87.full.pdf Floral development of three Maesa species, with special emphasis on the position of the genus within Primulales.]{{dead link|date=May 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Annals of Botany, 86(1), 87-97. There are 184 accepted species native to tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, the majority of which occur in Malesia, New Guinea, western Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

These plants are vines, shrubs, and trees up to 12 meters tall.