Neuvotella

Neuvotella is a fictional genus of flowering plants created for use in educational materials and speculative fiction to illustrate principles of plant taxonomy and nomenclature. It is not recognized as a real genus in botanical databases or field guides.

In the imagined framework, Neuvotella is placed within a notional family Neuvotellaceae and a corresponding order Neuvatiales, within the clade of flowering plants. The genus name combines neo- “new” and the Latin root thell- or thel- presumed to refer to a cup-like corolla, chosen to evoke the idea of a novel, small-flowered plant. Several illustrative species are described, such as Neuvotella cerulea and Neuvotella montana, though these species have no standing in real taxonomy.

Neuvotella species are described as small to medium herbaceous perennials with slender stems, simple alternate leaves, and five-petaled, campanulate or bell-shaped flowers. The corollas range in color from pale blue to violet, often with a contrasting eye or band at the throat. Fruits are depicted as small dry capsules with several seeds.

In the fictional setting, Neuvotella is native to cool temperate regions, with populations described in montane meadows and shaded forest margins on the Valara Archipelago. They are characterized as shade-tolerant, early-successional, and adapted to moist but well-drained soils.

As an instructional tool, Neuvotella is used to discuss genus-level concepts, species delimitation, type specimens, and the rules of botanical nomenclature in a controlled, hypothetical context. It does not correspond to any real plant taxon.