Clematoclethra Maxim. is a genus within the Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae, or the Chinese Gooseberry family, is a small family of plants. It includes three genera and about 360 species. It is a member of the order Ericales.-Distribution:...

. It contains about 20 species and is endemic to subtropical and temperate regions of central and western China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. Monophyly of the group is supported by genetic evidence and also evidence based on the cell biology of members of the genus. Monophyly of the genus is also supported by micromorphological characters of foliar trichomes and by phylogenetic analysis, although the exact evolutionary relationships of this genus with the other two genera of the Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae, or the Chinese Gooseberry family, is a small family of plants. It includes three genera and about 360 species. It is a member of the order Ericales.-Distribution:...

, the Actinidia

Actinidia

Actinidia is a genus of woody and, with few exceptions, dioecious plants native to temperate eastern Asia, occurring throughout most of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and extending north to southeast Siberia and south into Indochina...

and the Saurauia

Saurauia

Saurauia Willd. is a genus of plant in the Actinidiaceae family. It comprises about 250 species distributed in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, and South and Central America. Genetic evidence and the cell biology of the group support monophyly of the genus...

, are not well understood.

The floral characteristics of the Clematoclethra are similar to the other members of the Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae, or the Chinese Gooseberry family, is a small family of plants. It includes three genera and about 360 species. It is a member of the order Ericales.-Distribution:...

. The main floral differences between the Clematoclethra and the other members of the Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae, or the Chinese Gooseberry family, is a small family of plants. It includes three genera and about 360 species. It is a member of the order Ericales.-Distribution:...

 are that members of the Clematoclethra have 10 stamens instead of numerous stamens, and have a united, hollow, and fluted style as compared to a free style that the other members of the Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae, or the Chinese Gooseberry family, is a small family of plants. It includes three genera and about 360 species. It is a member of the order Ericales.-Distribution:...

 have. Also, Clematoclethra is the only genus in the Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae

Actinidiaceae, or the Chinese Gooseberry family, is a small family of plants. It includes three genera and about 360 species. It is a member of the order Ericales.-Distribution:...

 whose members are fully dioecious

Dioecious

Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...

.