Mutisieae

Mutisieae is a tribe of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, within the subfamily Mutisioideae. The name derives from Mutisia, the type genus. In traditional classifications, Mutisieae was a large and morphologically diverse group that included many genera native to the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in South America and the Andes.

Modern classifications based on molecular phylogenetics have substantially revised its circumscription. In many systems the traditional Mutisieae is no longer treated as a single, coherent group; numerous genera have been reassigned to other tribes within Mutisioideae, and Mutisieae is recognized only in a narrower sense by some authorities or treated as an informal grouping by others.

Where the lineage is included, members typically produce the characteristic Asteraceae capitulum (flower head) surrounded by an involucre of bracts, with florets that can be disk or ray types depending on the genus. The fruit is a cypsela, often with a pappus that aids wind dispersal. Growth forms range from herbaceous perennials to shrubs or climbers.

Distribution of the genera historically placed in Mutisieae is mainly Neotropical and Andean, with many species adapted to high-elevation habitats. Some lineages have broader or more temperate distributions depending on classification.

See also: Mutisioideae.