 The genus <unk> was first described Carl Sigismund Kunth in 1816 based on specimens collected by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland , although older , pre @-@ Linnaean descriptions exist , including Charles Plumier 's 1703 description of A. <unk> . The genus was named for Attalus III <unk> , king of Pergamon , known for his interest in medicinal plants . The type species is A. <unk> , a Colombian endemic . The genera <unk> and <unk> were described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1826 and 1837 respectively . <unk> was described by Hermann Karsten in 1857 , and <unk> by Orator F. Cook in 1942 . 
