Chrestoides

Chrestoides is a taxonomic name that has appeared in the scientific literature for more than one biological group, and it does not currently denote a single, widely accepted genus. The suffix -oides denotes likeness, and the root chrest- likely reflects an attribution to an earlier or related genus in the respective group.

In botanical usage, Chrestoides was historically proposed as a genus for several tropical flowering plants. In contemporary classifications, the species formerly placed in Chrestoides have generally been reassigned to related genera, most commonly to Chresta or other genera within the same family. As a result, Chrestoides is treated as a synonym or an obsolete name in botanical nomenclature.

Outside botany, the name has appeared in older zoological and mycological treatments, but these uses are not part of current, widely accepted nomenclature and are not maintained in major taxonomic databases.

Current reference works and online databases do not provide a stable, universally recognized listing for a valid genus under the name Chrestoides. When encountered, the name is typically treated as context-dependent: it may represent a historical name, a synonym, or an unused combination. For researchers, verifying the relevant group-specific taxonomic database is essential to determine its status.