Editing Gunnera

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the family Gunneraceae}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Late Cretaceous]] - present,
{{fossil range|90|0}}
| image = Gunnera tinctoria 2.jpg
| image_caption = ''Gunnera tinctoria'' at the [[San Francisco Botanical Garden]] at Strybing Arboretum
| parent_authority = [[Carl Meissner|Meisn.]]<ref name=APGIII2009>{{Cite journal | author = Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2009 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages=105–121 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x |doi-access=free |hdl=10654/18083 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
| taxon = Gunnera
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=l/>
| synonyms = *''Milligania'' <small>Hook.f., rejected name</small>
*''Panke'' <small>Molina</small>
*''Pankea'' <small>Oerst.</small>
| range_map = Gunnera distribution.svg
| range_map_caption = The range of the genus ''Gunnera''<ref name="Bergman" />
}}
[[File:gunnera.manicata.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Gunnera manicata'', Devon, England]]
[[File:Gunnera insignis.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Gunnera insignis'', [[Costa Rica]]]]

'''''Gunnera''''' is the sole genus of [[herbaceous]] [[flowering plant]]s in the family '''Gunneraceae''', which contains 63 species. Some species in this genus, namely those in the subgenus ''Panke'', have extremely large leaves. Species in the genus are variously native to [[Latin America]],  [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Papuasia]], [[Hawaii]], [[insular Southeast Asia]], [[Africa]], and [[Madagascar]].<ref name=l>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=370359 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref> The stalks of some species are edible.<ref name="TasteAtlas" />

== Taxonomy ==
''Gunnera'' is the only genus in the family Gunneraceae.<ref name="Christenhusz-Byng2016">{{cite journal | vauthors = Christenhusz MJ, Byng JW |year=2016 |title=The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase |url=http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/download/phytotaxa.261.3.1/20598 |journal=Phytotaxa |volume=261 |issue=3 |pages=201–217 |doi=10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[APG II system]], of 2003, also recognizes this family and assigns it to the order Gunnerales in the clade [[core eudicots]]. The family then consisted of one or two genera, ''Gunnera'' and, optionally, ''[[Myrothamnus]]'', the latter optionally segregated as a separate family, [[Myrothamnaceae]]. This represents a change from the [[APG system]], of 1998, which firmly recognized two separate families, unplaced as to order. The [[APG III system]] and [[APG IV system]] recognizes the family Gunneraceae and places ''Myrothamnus'' in Myrothamnaceae; both families are placed in the order Gunnerales in the core eudicots.<ref name="APGIV2016">{{Cite journal |author =Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2016 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV |journal=[[Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society]] |volume=181 |issue=1 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1111/boj.12385 |issn=0024-4074 |doi-access=free |author-link=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group}}</ref>

The genus ''Gunnera'' was named after the Norwegian botanist [[Johann Ernst Gunnerus]]. At first it was assigned to the family [[Haloragaceae]], though that presented difficulties that led to the general recognition of the family Gunneraceae, as had been proposed about the beginning of the 20th century. In the meantime, in many publications it had been referred to as being in the Haloragaceae, variously misspelt (as for example "Halorrhagidaceae".<ref name="WattPP">{{cite book | vauthors = Watt JM, Breyer-Brandwijk MG, Gerdina M | title = The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa | publisher = E & S Livingstone | date = 1962 | edition = Second | chapter = Halorrhagidaceae | page = 500 }}</ref>) Such references still cause difficulties in consulting earlier works. However, currently ''Gunnera'' is firmly assigned to the [[Monotypic taxon|monogeneric]] family Gunneraceae.<ref name="WWOK">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wanntorp L, Wanntorp HE, Oxelman B, Källersjö M | title = Phylogeny of ''Gunnera'' | journal = Plant Systematics and Evolution | date = March 2001 | volume = 226 | issue = 1 | pages = 85–107 | doi = 10.1007/s006060170075 | jstor = 23644101 | bibcode = 2001PSyEv.226...85W | s2cid = 42201778 }}</ref>

=== Evolution ===
''Gunnera'' is thought to be a rather ancient group, with a well-documented fossil history due to the presence of fossilized [[pollen]] spores, known by the [[palynotaxon]] ''[[Tricolpites reticulatus]]''. It is a [[Gondwana]]n lineage, having originated in [[South America]] during the [[Cretaceous]]. The earliest fossilized pollen is known from the [[Late Cretaceous]] ([[Turonian]]) of Peru, about 90 million years ago, and within the following 10 million years, ''Gunnera'' had achieved a worldwide distribution, with fossil pollen grains being found in areas where it is not found today, such as western [[North America]], mainland [[Australia]], and [[Antarctica]].<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Jarzen DM |date=1980 |title=The Occurrence of ''Gunnera'' Pollen in the Fossil Record |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2387727 |journal=Biotropica |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=117–123 |doi=10.2307/2387727 |jstor=2387727 |bibcode=1980Biotr..12..117J |issn=0006-3606|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bacon CD, Velásquez-Puentes FJ, Hinojosa LF, Schwartz T, Oxelman B, Pfeil B, Arroyo MT, Wanntorp L, Antonelli A | display-authors = 6 | title = Evolutionary persistence in ''Gunnera'' and the contribution of southern plant groups to the tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot | journal = PeerJ | volume = 6 | pages = e4388 | date = 2018-03-16 | pmid = 29576938 | pmc = 5858603 | doi = 10.7717/peerj.4388 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Based on fossil pollen recovered from drilling cores, ''Gunnera'' is also known to have inhabited the now-submerged islands of the [[Ninety East Ridge|Ninetyeast Ridge]] during the [[Paleocene]], likely having dispersed there from either [[Australasia]] or the then-emergent [[Kerguelen Plateau]] islands.<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Carpenter RJ, Truswell EM, Harris WK |date=2010-03-02 |title=Lauraceae fossils from a volcanic Palaeocene oceanic island, Ninetyeast Ridge, Indian Ocean: ancient long-distance dispersal?: Indian Ocean Lauraceae fossils |journal=Journal of Biogeography |language=en |volume=37 |issue=7 |pages=1202–1213 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02279.x |s2cid=83060879}}</ref>

Due to the widespread distribution of ''Gunnera'' during the Cretaceous, it was previously thought that the modern disjunct distribution of the genus was a relic of this period. However, phylogenetic analysis indicates that the majority of ''Gunnera'' species, even those found on entirely different continents, diverged from each other during the [[Cenozoic]], indicating that the modern distribution of ''Gunnera'' is a consequence of [[Long distance dispersal|long-distance dispersal]] from South America to other parts of the world, rather than relics of a former cosmopolitan distribution. The only species that diverged prior to the Cenozoic is ''[[Gunnera herteri]]'', described from Uruguay<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Osten C |date=1932 |title=Una Gunnera en el Uruguay: Gunnera Herteri Osten n. sp. |journal= Herbarium Cornelius Osten Comunicaciones (Montevideo) |language=es |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=33–39 }}</ref> and distributed in Uruguay and southeastern [[Brazil]], which is thought to be the most ancient species of the genus, its lineage having diverged during the Late Cretaceous, roughly concurrent with the oldest ''Gunnera'' fossil pollen from Peru. The persistence of the ''Gunnera'' [[crown group]] since the Cretaceous makes it unique among flowering plants, and may have been facilitated by strong [[Phylogenetic niche conservatism|niche conservatism]], [[Seed dispersal|dispersal]] ability, and being able to aggressively colonize disturbed land.<ref name=":0" />

==Description==
The 40–50 species vary enormously in [[leaf]] size, with the iconic large-leaved species belonging to the subgenus ''Panke''. The '''giant rhubarb''', or '''Campos des Loges''' (''[[Gunnera manicata]]''), native to the Serra do Mar mountains of southeastern [[Brazil]], is perhaps the largest species, with [[Wiktionary:reniform|reniform]] or sub-reniform leaves typically {{convert|1.5|to|2.0|m|ftin|sp=us}} long, not including the thick, succulent [[petiole (botany)|petiole]] which may be up to {{convert|2.5|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}} in length. The width of the leaf blade is typically {{convert|2.5|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}}, but on two occasions cultivated specimens (in [[Dorset]], England in 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-15308919|title=Abbotsbury Gardens celebrates plant's 'monster' leaves |date=14 October 2011 |website=[[BBC]]}}</ref> and at Narrowwater, [[Ulster]], [[Ireland]]<ref>{{cite journal | title = Unknown | journal = The Garden | location = London | volume = 63 | issue = 1631 | date = 21 February 1903 | page = 125 }}</ref> in 1903) produced leaves fully {{convert|3.3|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}} in width. The seeds germinate best in very moist, but not wet, conditions and temperatures of 22–29&nbsp;°C.

Only slightly smaller is ''[[Gunnera masafuerae]]'' of the [[Juan Fernández Islands|Juan Fernandez Islands]] off the [[Chile]]an coast. They can have leaves up to {{convert|2.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in width on stout leaf stalks {{convert|1.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|11|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} thick according to Skottsberg.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Skottsberg C | chapter = The Phanerogams of Juan Fernandez Islands | title = The Natural History of Juan Fernandez and Ester Islands | location = Uppsala | publisher = Almquist & Wiksells Boktryckeri AB | date = 1953 | volume = 2 | page = 151 }}</ref> These leaf stalks or [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]]s are the thickest of any [[dicot]], and probably also the most massive. On nearby [[Alejandro Selkirk Island|Isla Más Afuera]], ''[[Gunnera peltata]]'' frequently has an upright trunk to {{convert|5.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in height by {{convert|25|–|30|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} thick, bearing leaves up to {{convert|2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} wide. The Hoja de Pantano (''[[Gunnera magnifica]]'') of the [[Colombia]]n [[Andes]] bears the largest leaf buds of any plant; up to {{convert|60|cm|ft|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|40|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} thick.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = St John H | title = ''Gunnera'' the Magnificent - Giant Herb of Colombia | journal = Chicago Natural History Museum Bulletin | volume = 30 | issue = 1 | date = January 1959 | page = 3 plus photo on front cover }}</ref> The [[Succulent plant|succulent]] leaf stalks are up to {{convert|2.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long. The massive [[inflorescence]] of small, reddish [[flower]]s is up to {{convert|2.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long and weighs about 13&nbsp;kg. The flowers of Gunnera species are dimerous ( two sepals, two petals (or none), two stamens (or one), and two carpels.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.plantsforuse.com/species/clusiaceae-garcinia#more-19 | work = Plants for Use  | title = Gunneraceae ''Gunnera'' | access-date= January 20, 2009 }}</ref> Other giant ''Gunnera'' species within the subgenus ''Panke'' are found throughout the [[Neotropics]] and [[Hawaii]]. ''Gunnera insignis'' is also known by the name "poor man's umbrella" in [[Costa Rica]].

Outside of the subgenus ''Panke'', most of the more basal ''Gunnera'' species have small-to-medium-sized leaves. There are some species with moderately large leaves in [[Africa]] (''G. perpensa'', in the subgenus ''Gunnera'' (which is redundant with ''Perpensum'')) and [[Southeast Asia]] (''G. macrophylla'', in the subgenus ''Pseudogunnera''), but the majority of more basal species are low-lying, mat-forming plants with small leaves. There are several small species are found in [[New Zealand]], notably ''G. albocarpa'', with leaves only 1–2&nbsp;cm long, and also in South America, with ''G. magellanica'' having leaves 5–9&nbsp;cm wide on stalks 8–15&nbsp;cm long. The most basal species in the genus, ''G. herteri'' of Uruguay and Brazil, also has small leaves.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=WILKINSON |first=H |date=October 2000 |title=A revision of the anatomy of Gunneraceae |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/bojl.2000.0372 |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=134 |issue=1–2 |pages=233–266 |doi=10.1006/bojl.2000.0372 |issn=0024-4074|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rutishauser |first1=R. |last2=Wanntorp |first2=L. |last3=Pfeifer |first3=E. |date=2004 |title=''Gunnera herteri'' — developmental morphology of a dwarf from Uruguay and S Brazil (Gunneraceae) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23654236 |journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution |volume=248 |issue=1/4 |pages=219–241 |doi=10.1007/s00606-004-0182-7 |jstor=23654236 |s2cid=24561923 |issn=0378-2697}}</ref>

Some fossil leaf impressions of ''Gunnera'' from the [[Cretaceous]] of [[North America]] have large leaves akin to those of ''Panke'', and the most basal extant species within ''Panke'' (''G. mexicana'') is the most northern member. For this reason, it has been suggested that ''Panke'' originates from South American ''Gunnera'' that colonized North America during the Cretaceous and grew into giant forms, with the remaining South American ''Gunnera'' evolving into the subgenus ''Misandra'', with a low-lying, matlike growth. During the Cenozoic, the North American ''Panke'' would have colonized [[Hawaii]] and retreated southwards on the mainland before recolonizing South America. However, more recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that ''Misandra'' and ''Panke'' diverged only 15 million years ago, much too recent to assign the Cretaceous ''Gunnera'' to ''Panke''. Due to this, the large-leaved Cretaceous ''Gunnera'' from North America may represent a distinct lineage that [[Convergent evolution|convergently evolved]] giant leaves similar to those of ''Panke'', but did not leave any descendants. ''<ref name=":0" />''<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wanntorp |first1=Livia |last2=Wanntorp |first2=Hans-Erik |date=July 2003 |title=The biogeography of ''Gunnera'' L.: vicariance and dispersal: Biogeography of ''Gunnera'' |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00895.x |journal=Journal of Biogeography |language=en |volume=30 |issue=7 |pages=979–987 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00895.x|s2cid=83697864 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Species==
{{As of|2023|April}}, [[Plants of the World Online]] accepts the following species<ref name="Plants of the World Online 2020">{{cite web | title=''Gunnera'' L. - Plants of the World Online | website=Plants of the World Online | date=2020-06-22 | url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:19527-1 | access-date=2023-04-25}}</ref> separated by subgenus:<ref name="WANNTORP WANNTORP RUTISHAUSER 2003 pp. 301–308">{{cite journal | last1=WANNTORP | first1=LIVIA | last2=WANNTORP | first2=HANS-ERIK | last3=RUTISHAUSER | first3=ROLF | title=On the homology of the scales in ''Gunnera'' (Gunneraceae) | journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society | publisher=Oxford University Press (OUP) | volume=142 | issue=3 | year=2003 | issn=1095-8339 | doi=10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.00185.x | pages=301–308}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|-
! Subgenus !! Image !! Scientific name !! Distribution
|-
! rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| ''Ostenigunnera'' {{small|Mattfeld, 1933}}
| || ''[[Gunnera herteri]]'' {{small|Osten}} || Uruguay, S Brazil
|-
! rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| ''Pseudogunnera''  {{small|Schindler, 1905 }}
|[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Bloeiende Gunnera macrophylla op de Karo-hoogvlakte TMnr 10012699.jpg|frameless|120x120px]]|| ''[[Gunnera macrophylla]]'' {{small|Blume}} || Papuasia, Indonesia, Philippines
|-
! rowspan="12" style="text-align:center;"| ''Milligania'' {{small|Schindler, 1905 }}
| || ''[[Gunnera albocarpa]]'' {{small|(Kirk) Cockayne}} || New Zealand
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera arenaria]]'' {{small|Cheeseman ex Kirk}} || New Zealand
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera cordifolia]]'' {{small|(Hook.f.) Hook.f.}} || Tasmania
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera densiflora]]'' {{small|Hook.f.}} || New Zealand
|-
|[[File:Gunnera dentata kz2.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera dentata]]'' {{small|Kirk}} || New Zealand
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera flavida]]'' {{small|Colenso}} || New Zealand
|-
|[[File:Gunnera hamiltonii kz03.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera hamiltonii]]'' {{small|Kirk ex W.S.Ham.}} || New Zealand
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera mixta]]'' {{small|Kirk}} || New Zealand
|-
|[[File:Gunnera monoica kz5.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera monoica]]'' {{small|Raoul}} || New Zealand incl Chatham Islands
|-
|[[File:Gunnera prorepens Hook.f. (AM AK351347-2).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera prorepens]]'' {{small|Hook.f.}} || New Zealand
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera reniformis]]'' {{small|Ridl.}} ||  New Guinea
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera strigosa]]'' {{small|(Kirk) Colenso}}|| New Zealand
|-
! rowspan="48" style="text-align:center;"| ''Panke'' {{small|Schindler, 1905 }}

| || ''[[Gunnera aequatoriensis]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Ecuador
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera annae]]'' {{small|Schindl.}} || Peru, Bolivia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera antioquensis]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera apiculata]]'' {{small|Schindl.}} || Bolivia, Argentina
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera atropurpurea]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia, Ecuador
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera berteroi]]'' {{small|Phil.}} || Bolivia, Argentina, Chile
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera bogotana]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}}  || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera bolivari]]'' {{small|J.F.Macbr.}} || Peru, Ecuador
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera boliviana]]'' {{small|Morong}} || Bolivia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera bracteata]]'' {{small|Steud. ex Benn.}} || Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile
|-
|[[File:Gunnera brephogera (14726746092).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera brephogea]]'' {{small|Linden & André}} || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera caucana]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera colombiana]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia, Ecuador
|-
| || [[Gunnera × cryptica|''Gunnera'' × ''cryptica'']] {{small|J.M.H.Shaw}} (''G. manicata'' × ''G. tinctoria'') || Cultivated
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera cuatrecasasii]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera diazii]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera garciae-barrigae]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera hernandezii]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
|[[File:Gunnera insignis.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera insignis]]'' {{small|(Oerst.) Oerst.}}  || Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
|-
| || [[Gunnera × katherine-wilsoniae|''Gunnera'' × ''katherine-wilsoniae'']] {{small|L.D.Gómez}} (''G. insignis'' × ''G. talamancana'') ||Costa Rica 
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera kauaiensis]]'' {{small|Rock}} || Kauai in Hawaii
|-
|[[File:Gunnera killipiana (10620413034).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera killipiana]]'' {{small|Lundell}} || Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera lozanoi]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera magnifica]]'' {{small|H.St.John}} || Colombia
|-
|[[File:Gunnera manicata (Mammut-Blatt)-1.JPG|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera manicata]]'' {{small|Linden ex André}} || S Brazil
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera margaretae]]'' {{small|Schindl.}} || Peru, Bolivia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera masafuerae]]'' {{small|Skottsb.}} || Alejandro Selkirk Island (Isla Mas Afuera) in Chile
|-
|[[File:IostephaneJBUNAM.JPG|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera mexicana]]'' {{small|Brandegee}} || Veracruz, Chiapas
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera morae]]'' {{small|Wanntorp & Klack.}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera peltata]]'' {{small|Phil.}} || Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera peruviana]]'' {{small|J.F.Macbr.}} || Ecuador, Peru
|-
|[[File:Gunnera petaloïdea (4743768827).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera petaloidea]]'' {{small|Gaudich.}} || Hawaii
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera pilosa]]'' {{small|Kunth}} || Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera pittieriana]]'' {{small|V.M.Badillo & Steyerm.}} || Venezuela
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera quitoensis]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Ecuador
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera saint-johnii]]'' {{small|(L.E.Mora) L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera sanctae-marthae]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera schindleri]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Bolivia, Argentina
|-
|[[File:Gunnera schultesii.jpeg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera schultesii]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera silvioana]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Ecuador, Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera steyermarkii]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Venezuela
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera tacueyana]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera tajumbina]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Ecuador, Colombia
|-
|[[File:Gunnera talamancana - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera talamancana]]'' {{small|H.Weber & L.E.Mora}} || Costa Rica, Panama
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera tamanensis]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
|[[File:Gunnera tayrona (14746906163).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera tayrona]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Colombia
|-
|[[File:Gunnerales - Gunnera tinctoria - 39.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera tinctoria]]'' {{small|(Molina) Mirb.}} || Chile, Argentina
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera venezolana]]'' {{small|L.E.Mora}} || Venezuela
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| ''Misandra'' {{small|Schindler, 1905 }}
|[[File:Gunnera magellanica - Palmengarten Frankfurt - DSC01945.JPG|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera magellanica]]'' {{small|Lam.}} || W + S South America, Falkland Is.
|-
| || ''[[Gunnera lobata]]'' {{small|Hook.f.}} || Tierra del Fuego
|-
! rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| ''Gunnera''
|[[File:Gunnera perpensa - indigenous River Pumpkin of South Africa wetlands ponds.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Gunnera perpensa]]'' {{small|L.}} || Africa, Madagascar
|-
|}

In 2022, it was shown that plants in cultivation under the name ''Gunnera manicata'' were actually a hybrid, [[Gunnera × cryptica|''Gunnera'' × ''cryptica'']].<ref name=ShawEdwaDavi22>{{Cite journal |last1=Shaw |first1=Julian M.H. |last2=Edwards |first2=Dawn |last3=David |first3=John |date=2022 |title=A new spontaneous hybrid in ''Gunnera'' subgenus ''Panke'' (Gunneraceae) widespread in the British Isles, with notes on the typification of ''G. manicata'' |journal=British & Irish Botany |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=364–384 |doi=10.33928/bib.2022.04.364 |s2cid=252243597 |name-list-style=amp |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Cyanobacterial symbiosis==
At least some species of ''Gunnera'' host [[Endosymbiont|endosymbiotic]] [[cyanobacteria]] such as ''[[Nostoc punctiforme]]''. The cyanobacteria provide [[Nitrogen fixation#Other plant symbionts|fixed nitrogen]] to the plant, while the plant provides fixed carbon to the microbe.<ref name="WFMJ">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wong FC, Meeks JC | title = Establishment of a functional symbiosis between the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme and the bryophyte Anthoceros punctatus requires genes involved in nitrogen control and initiation of heterocyst differentiation | journal = Microbiology | volume = 148 | issue = Pt 1 | pages = 315–323 | date = January 2002 | pmid = 11782524 | doi = 10.1099/00221287-148-1-315 | doi-access = free }}</ref> The bacteria enter the plant via glands found at the base of each leaf stalk<ref name="Bergman">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bergman B, Johansson C, Söderbäck E | title = The ''Nostoc''-''Gunnera'' symbiosis | journal = The New Phytologist | volume = 122 | issue = 3 | pages = 379–400 | date = November 1992 | pmid = 33874210 | doi = 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1992.tb00067.x | doi-access = free }}</ref> and initiate an intracellular symbiosis which is thought to provide the plant with fixed nitrogen in return for fixed carbon for the bacterium. The Nostoc-filled symbiotic tissue makes up just a small portion of the plant's total biomass. ''Gunnera'' is the only known genus of angiosperms that hosts cyanobacteria, and the only known land plant with intracellular [[cyanobiont]]s. Although the endosymbionts enters the [[cell wall]], they do not penetrate the [[cell membrane]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_RxoEAAAQBAJ&dq=Nostoc+symbiotic+tissue+small+portion+total+Gunnera+biomass&pg=PA52 | title=Microbial Symbionts: Functions and Molecular Interactions on Host | isbn=9780323993357 | last1=Dharumadurai | first1=Dhanasekaran | date=25 September 2022 | publisher=Elsevier }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | pmc=1203372 | year=2005 | last1=Chiu | first1=W. L. | last2=Peters | first2=G. A. | last3=Levieille | first3=G. | last4=Still | first4=P. C. | last5=Cousins | first5=S. | last6=Osborne | first6=B. | last7=Elhai | first7=J. | title=Nitrogen Deprivation Stimulates Symbiotic Gland Development in ''Gunnera manicata'' | journal=Plant Physiology | volume=139 | issue=1 | pages=224–230 | doi=10.1104/pp.105.064931 | pmid=16113217 }}</ref> This relationship may provide insights to allow the creation of novel symbioses between crop plants and cyanobacteria, allowing growth in areas lacking fixed nitrogen in the soil.

==Uses==
The stalks of ''[[Gunnera tinctoria|G. tinctoria]]'' (''nalca''), from southern [[Chile]] and [[Argentina]], are edible.<ref name="TasteAtlas">{{cite web |title=Nalca |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/nalca |website=TasteAtlas |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref> Their principal use is fresh consumption, after peeling, but also they are prepared in salads, liquor or marmalade. Leaves of this species are used in covering [[curanto]] (a traditional Chilean food).

''Gunnera perpensa'' is a source of traditional medicine in southern Africa, both in veterinary and human ailments, largely in obstetric and digestive complaints, but also as a wound dressing.<ref name="WattPP"/> It also is eaten in various ways, largely the petioles, flower stalks and leaves, fresh and raw, preferably with skins and fibre removed, which is said to remove bitterness, but also cooked. The plant also is said to be used in making a beer.<ref name="FFVF">{{cite book | vauthors = Fox FW | title = Food from the veld | publisher = Delta Books | date = 1982 | isbn = 978-0908387328 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline}}
* [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/gunnerac.htm Gunneraceae] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104123008/http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/gunnerac.htm|date=2006-01-04}} in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). ''[http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ The families of flowering plants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103200438/http://delta-intkey.com/|date=2007-01-03}}: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.'' Version: 21 May 2006. [http://delta-intkey.com/ http://delta-intkey.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103200438/http://delta-intkey.com/|date=2007-01-03}}
* [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Gunneraceae links at CSDL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013055605/http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Gunneraceae |date=2008-10-13 }}
* [http://www.chilebosque.cl/herb/gmage.html ''Gunnera magellanica'' pictures from ''Chilebosque'']
* Global Invasive Species database [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=836&fr=1&sts=Gunnera tinctoria]
* Medicinal plant details [http://www.plantzafrica.com/medmonographs/gunnerapers.pdf ''Gunnera perpensa'']
* {{cite web | title = ''Gunnera'' on Achill Island | work =  Achill Journal | url = http://www.achilljournal.com/index.php/2007/03/20/e15000-for-achills-wild-rhubarb/ | url-status = usurped | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929025603/http://www.achilljournal.com/index.php/2007/03/20/e15000-for-achills-wild-rhubarb/ | archive-date = 2007-09-29 }}

{{Angiosperm families}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q133625|from2=Q2338324}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gunnera| ]]
[[Category:Eudicot genera]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]