﻿AbstractKerauneais an enigmatic genus of lianescent shrubs endemic to Brazil and found within the Caatinga and Mata Atlântica phytogeographic regions. When first published,Kerauneawas included in theConvolvulaceaeand there has been considerable recent disagreement about its true family placement on the Angiosperm tree of life. Based on further assessment of morphology and a new comprehensively-sampled combined phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and plastid genes from recently published DNA sequence data, we settle the position of the genus within theEhretiaceaeas sister to the Australian genusHalganiaGaudich. and provide an expanded family description. We recognize five species withinKeraunea, three of them newly described here:K.brasiliensisCheek & Simão-Bianchini,K.bullataMoonlight & D.B.O.S.Cardoso,sp. nov.,K.capixabaLombardi,K.confusaMoonlight & D.B.O.S.Cardoso,sp. nov.andK.velutinaMoonlight & D.B.O.S.Cardoso,sp. nov.We also provide a full taxonomic revision of the genus, including a key, descriptions, map of geographical distribution and provisional IUCN threat assessments for all species.