Clausena

The genus includes shrubs and trees. Some species are variable, with many forms. C. anisata, for example has been described as a shrub under a meter tall and as a tree of . The leaves of these plants are pinnate, divided into leaflets. The inflorescence varies in form, but is generally a cluster of several flowers with 4 or 5 petals and sepals. The fruit is a berry which lacks the pulp of many other fruits in the citrus family. The genus can be distinguished from related plants by the presence of a gynophore, a structure supporting the ovary in the flower. It looks very different in the various species, however, and can be hard to recognize. ==Uses==

C. anisata is a tree used for its wood, and in traditional medicine. C. excavata is used medicinally in Asia for a variety of conditions, including snakebite, malaria, dysentery, and HIV infection. Some species, such as C. indica and C. lansium (wampi), produce edible fruit. Wampi is cultivated as a fruit tree, and though it is only a remote relative of citrus, it can be grafted to various citrus trees. There are sour, sweet, and intermediate varieties of C. lansium. ==Fossil record==

A Clausena leaf fossil from the Oligocene of Ethiopia, represents so far the oldest record of the genus. ==Diversity==

The taxonomy of the genus is unclear. • Clausena agasthyamalayana • Clausena anisata - horsewood • Clausena anisum-olens (syn. C. sanki, nom. rejic.) • Clausena austroindica • Clausena brevistyla • Clausena emarginata • Clausena engleri • Clausena excavata • Clausena hainanensis • Clausena harmandiana • Clausena henryi • Clausena heptaphylla • Clausena indica • Clausena lansium – wampi, wampee, Chinese clausena • Clausena lenis • Clausena luxurians • Clausena pentaphylla • Clausena poilanei • Clausena wallichii • Clausena yunnanensis Note: Clausena smyrelliana is a may be a synonym of Bergera crenulata ==References==