Based on the genus Gelsemium Juss., a name ultimately probably from Arabic or Persian yasmin, possibly combined with Italian gèlso, possibly an allusion to the flowers being jasmine-like. Christenhusz et al. (2017) state that Gelsemium is the Latinised form of gelsomino, the Italian term for jasmine.

Allspince Jasmine, Carolina Jasmine, Evening Trumpet Flower, Heartbreak Grass.

Gelsemium Juss.

Woody climbers, shrubs or trees (up to 40 m high, not in Australia). Branchlets glabrous, papillate or slightly hairy. Leaves usually opposite, rarely whorled or alternate (not in Australia), simple; lamina margin usually entire; stipules absent (not in Australia), reduced to an interpetiolar line (Gelsemium), or when present membranous and small. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, flowers in panicles, dichasia or thyrses; bracts usually present on pedicels, small or large, 1–several. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, homo- or heterostylous (not in Australia). Sepals 5, persistent, free or connate at base or up to one-half of length (not in Australia). Corolla funnel-shaped, usually imbricate, yellow or white (less often cream, orange or red). Petals 5, partly or completely connate. Stamens opposite the sepals; filaments free, inserted at base to middle of corolla tube; anthers tetrasporangiate, dithecal, latrorse, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium of 2 connate carpels. Ovary superior, on thickened stalk (not in Australia) or without stalk, 2-locular; style usually twice dichotomously branched, usually united at base, filiform, terminal. Ovules 1–8 per locule; placentation axile or basal. Fruit a loculicidal or septicidal capsule, usually flattened, 2­–4-valved, oblong, elliptic or bilobed and obcordate (not in Australia), or rarely a samara (not in Australia), wings usually absent, calyx deciduous or persistent. Seeds elongate to orbicular, compressed, with wings (usually in Gelsemium) (the wings thin and often at one end of seed) or without wings, 1–8 seeds (c. 8 in Gelsemium) per fruit. Endosperm fleshy (Gelsemium) or bony (not in Australia).

Woody climbers, shrubs or trees. Corolla funnel-shaped, usually yellow or white. Flowers usually heterostylous. Gynoecium of 2 united carpels. Style usually twice dichotomously branched. Fruit usually a flattened capsule. Seeds compressed.

n = 8, 10 (Stevens, 2001 onwards).

Introduced.

Three genera and c.13 species. Gelsemium (3 spp.) has a disjunct intercontinental distribution with 1 species in Asia and 2 species in southern North America, Central America. Mostuea Didr. (9 spp.) (Sobral & Rossi 2003) also has an intercontinental distribution with most species predominantly in tropical Africa, as well as Madagascar, and with 2 species in South America (Bruce & Lewis 1960, Leeuwenberg 1972, Sobral & Rossi 2003, Struwe et al. 2014, Mabberley 2017). Pteleocarpa Oliv. is a monotypic genus from southeastern Asia. The family is represented in Australia by Gelsemium sempervirens (L.) J.St.-Hil. which is sparingly established in New South Wales.

Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina or Yellow Jasmine, Yellow Jessamine) is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental in Australia (HortFlora).

Gelsemiaceae Struwe & V.A.Albert, Cladistics 10: 206 (1995). Type: Gelsemium Juss.

Gelsemium and Mostuea have until relatively recently usually been placed in Loganiaceae, but also in Apocynaceae in older works (Endlicher 1841). Phylogenetic studies support recognition of Gelsemiaceae as a separate family (Struwe et al. 1994, Backlund et al. 2000, Jia & Li 2007, Struwe et al. 2014). Struwe and Albert (1995) proposed Gelsemiaceae as a new family to accommodate Gelsemium and Mostuea. Gelsemiaceae differs from Loganiaceae in its usually imbricate corolla, the usually twice dichotomously divided stigmas, latrorse anthers, and flattened seeds (Mabberley 2017). Pteleocarpa has been considered a genus incertae sedis for a long time, and has intrigued botanists ever since it was first described as Dodonaea lamponga by Miquel in 1861 (Struwe et al. 2014). It has been either included in or allied with Sapindaceae, Olacaceae, Boraginaceae, Icacinaceae, Cardiopteridaceae, and most recently in Pteleocarpaceae (Brummitt 2011). Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that Pteleocarpa is best assigned to Gelsemiaceae (Refulio-Rodriguez & Olmstead 2014, Struwe et al. 2014). APG IV (2016) and Stevens (2001 onwards) include Pteleocarpa in Gelsemiaceae.

Both Gelsemium and Mostuea have complex indole alkaloids that are toxic, especially the compound gelsemidin. All parts of Gelsemium are toxic and can cause death if ingested. (Kingsbury 1964, Dutt 2010, Drugs 2018).

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016). An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181(1): 1–20.

Backlund, M., Oxelman, B. & Bremer, B. (2000). Phylogenetic relationships within the Gentianales based on ndhF and rbcL sequences with particular reference to Loganiaceae. American Journal of Botany 87(7): 1029–1043.

Flora do Brasil 2020 - Algae, Fungi and Plants: http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/listaBrasil/ConsultaPublicaUC/ResultadoDaConsultaNovaConsulta.do [Last accessed 23 July 2018]

Bruce, E.A. & Lewis, J. (1960). Loganiaceae, in Hubbard, C.E. & Milne-Redhead, E., Flora of Tropical East Africa, pp.1–47. (Crown Agents: London).

Brummitt, R.K. (2011). Valid publication of the family name Pteleocarpaceae. Kew Bulletin 66: 1–3.

Christenhusz, M.J.M., Fay, M.F. & Chase, M.W. (2017). Plants of the World: an illustrated encyclopedia of flowering plants. (University of Chicago Press: Chicago, U.S.A.).

Conn, B.J. (1992). Loganiaceae, in Harden, G.J. (ed.), Flora of New South Wales 3: 477–481. (New South Wales University Press: Kensington); Gelsemium, in New South Wales Flora Online:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Gelsemium [Accessed 14 June 2019]

Conn, B.J. & Brown, E.A. (1996). Loganiaceae, in Wilson, A. (ed.), Flora of Australia 28: 1–72. (CSIRO Australia: Melbourne).

Drugs.com: https://www.drugs.com/npp/gelsemium.html [Last accessed 23 July 2018]

Dutt, V., Thakur, S., Dhar, V.J., & Sharma, A. (2010). The genus Gelsemium: An update. Pharmacological Review 4(8): 185–194.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249920/ [Last accessed 23 July 2018]

Endlicher, S.L. (1841). Enchiridion Botanicum. (Leipzig: Engelmann).

HortFlora: https://hortflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/taxon/58a0f3ec-21df-4652-aae2-ddcfe4328eec [Last accessed 23 July 2018]

Jia, Z. & Li, J. (2007). Phylogeny of intercontinental disjunct Gelsemiaceae inferred from chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences. Systematic Botany 32(3): 617–627.

Kingsbury, J.M. (1964). Poisonous Plants of the United States and Canada. (Prentice-Hall: New Jersey).

Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. (1972). Loganiaceae, in Aubreville, A. & Leyoy, J.-F., Flore du Cameroun 12: 1–153. (Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle: Paris).

Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. (1972). Loganiaceae, in Aubreville, A. & Leyoy, J.-F., Flore du Gabon, pp. 1–154. (Museum National D’Historie Naturelle: Paris).

Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. & Bamps, P. (1972). Loganiaceae, in Bamps, P., Flore D’Afrique Centrale, pp. 1–149(Zaire-Rwanda-Burundi). (Jardin botanique national de Belgique).

Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. (1983). Loganiaceae, in Laurent, E. (ed.), Flora Zambesiaca 7(1): 327–374. (Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee: London).

Li, B. & Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. (2014). Gelsemium, in Flora of China [Volume 15] Online: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=113391 [Last accessed 23 July 2018]

Mabberley, D.J. (2017). The Plant Book 4th edn. (University Press: Cambridge). 

Refulio-Rodriguez, N.F. & Olmstead, R.G. (2014). Phylogeny of Lamiidae. American Journal of Botany 101(2): 287–299.

Sobral, M. & Rossi, L. (2003). Mostuea muricata (Gelsemiaceae), a new species from Brazil. Novon 13(3): 325–328.

Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 14, April 2015 [and more or less continuously updated since].   http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ [Last accessed 23 July 2018]

Struwe, L., Albert, V.A. & Bremer, B. (1994). Cladistics and family level classification of the Gentianales. Cladistics 10(2): 175–206.

Struwe,L., Soza, V.L., Manickam, S. & Olmstead, R.G. (2014). Gelsemiaceae (Gentianales) expanded to include the enigmatic Asian genus Pteleocarpa. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 175(4): 482–496.

Received 14 June 2019. Published 14 June 2019.