Phylica

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| oldest_fossil =

| image = Phylica pubescens MS 9205.jpg

| image_caption = Phylica pubescens

| taxon = Phylica

| authority = L.|

}}

File:Phylica rosmarinifolia1.jpg]]

Phylica is a genus of plants in the family Rhamnaceae. It contains about 150 species,{{cite journal |author1=James E. Richardson |author2=Michael F. Fay |author3=Quentin C. B. Cronk |author4=Mark W. Chase |year=2003 |title=Species delimitation and the origin of populations in island representatives of Phylica (Rhamnaceae) |journal=Evolution |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=816–827 |jstor=3094618 |doi=10.1554/0014-3820(2003)057[0816:SDATOO]2.0.CO;2 |pmid=12778551}} the majority of which are restricted to South Africa, where they form part of the {{lang|af|fynbos}}.{{cite journal |author1=James E. Richardson |author2=Frans M. Weitz |author3=Michael F. Fay |author4=Quentin C. B. Cronk |author5=H. Peter Linder |author6=Gail Reeves |author7=Mark W. Chase |year=2001 |title=Phylogenetic analysis of Phylica L. (Rhamnaceae) with an emphasis on island species: evidence from plastid trnL-F and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ribosomal) DNA sequences |journal=Taxon |volume=50 |issue=2|pages=405–427 |jstor=1223889 |doi=10.2307/1223889}} A few species occur in other parts of southern Africa, and on islands including Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, Île Amsterdam, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and Gough Island. Phylica piloburmensis from the Burmese amber of Myanmar, dating to around 99 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous, was originally described as the oldest fossil member of the genus,{{Cite journal |last1=Shi |first1=Chao |last2=Wang |first2=Shuo |last3=Cai |first3=Hao-hong |last4=Zhang |first4=Hong-rui |last5=Long |first5=Xiao-xuan |last6=Tihelka |first6=Erik |last7=Song |first7=Wei-cai |last8=Feng |first8=Qi |last9=Jiang |first9=Ri-xin |last10=Cai |first10=Chen-yang |last11=Lombard |first11=Natasha |date=2022-01-31 |title=Fire-prone Rhamnaceae with South African affinities in Cretaceous Myanmar amber |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-01091-w |journal=Nature Plants |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=125–135 |doi=10.1038/s41477-021-01091-w |pmid=35102275 |s2cid=246443363 |issn=2055-0278|url-access=subscription }} but subsequent studies contested its assignment to the genus Phylica{{Cite journal |last1=Oskolski |first1=Alexei A. |last2=Morris |first2=Benjamin B. |last3=Severova |first3=Elena E. |last4=Sokoloff |first4=Dmitry D. |year=2024 |title=Flowers from Myanmar amber confirm the Cretaceous age of Rhamnaceae but not of the extant genus Phylica |journal=Nature Plants |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=219–222 |doi=10.1038/s41477-023-01591-x |pmid=38278949|bibcode=2024NatPl..10..219O }} and even to the family Rhamnaceae,{{Cite journal |last1=Beurel |first1=Simon |last2=Bachelier |first2=Julien B. |last3=Schmidt |first3=Alexander R. |last4=Sadowski |first4=Eva-Maria |year=2024 |title=Novel three-dimensional reconstructions of presumed Phylica (Rhamnaceae) from Cretaceous amber suggest Lauralean affinities |journal=Nature Plants |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=223–227 |doi=10.1038/s41477-023-01592-w |pmid=38278948|bibcode=2024NatPl..10..223B }} with one study placing it in the separate genus Nothophylica.

The genus name Phylica comes from the Greek φυλλικός (phullikόs) "of leaves, concerning leaves", as the stems are densely leafy in most of the species.{{cite web |last= Notten |first= Alice |date= April 2007 |title= Phylica ericoides |url= https://pza.sanbi.org/phylica-ericoides |website= PlantZAfrica |location= Pretoria |publisher= SANBI |access-date= 12 July 2025}}