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Synonyms: Aphloiaceae Takht.; Bembiciaceae R. C. Keating & Takht.; Berberidopsidaceae Takht.; Caseariaceae Baum.-Bod., nom. nud.; Erythrospermaceae Doweld; Homaliaceae R. Br.; Kiggelariaceae Link; Neumanniaceae Tiegh., nom. inval.; Pangiaceae Blume; Patrisaceae Mart., nom. nud.; Plagiopteraceae Bower; Prockiaceae Bertuch; Samydaceae Vent., nom. cons.; Soyauxiaceae F. A. Barkley, nom. nud.
Common name: Flacourtia Family.
Number of genera 86. Number of species 875.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or an intact or entire fruit, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; berry, or drupe, or capsule, or samara (not Spjut); fissuricidal capsule (Caloncoba), or loculicidal capsule; capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; without persistent central column; within accessory organ(s); 1-seeded to many-seeded; 1-seeded (-many); Aphloia 1-carpellate, or 2–10-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterile carpels; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent. Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp black; durable; glabrous (without hairs); with armature, or without armature; with horns, or prickles, or spines; without armature glochidiate; smooth, or not smooth; with wing(s), or without wing(s); 16-winged; without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present. Endocarp present, or absent; not separating from exocarp; thin, or woody; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; smooth; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without mechanism for seedling escape; without grooves; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril usually present, or absent; a true aril; white, or red; well developed; encompassing; fimbriate-laciniate, or saccate; with plicate hairlike fringe. Seed larger than minute; 1 to less than 5 mm long to 10 to less than 25 mm long; 2.5–15 mm long; sub circular, or irregular; in transection compressed, or terete; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent, or present. Testa present, or absent; without embryo surrounded and capped by viscid tissue; with markedly different marginal tissue; marginal tissue corklike (assumed); tight; dull (at least); surface unsmooth, or smooth; surface with merged raised features; surface low ridged, or striate, or reticulate, or veined; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrous, or pubescent (if glabrous usually arillate, if pubescent not arillate); with hairs over surface, or tuft of hairs at one end (coma), or hairs along margin; with long hairs (at least in Calantica); tomentose (wooly); without glandular pubescence; without wings, or with wing(s); without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades), or orange, or white; woody; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Hilum larger than punctate (assumed). Endosperm copious, or moderate, or scant (rarely); fleshy-watery, or fleshy; smooth; without starch; with oils, proteins, and fats; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; with fatty acids of chaulmoogric acid (cyclopentenoid); without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; completely filling testa (no food reserve), or partially filling testa (with food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); 0.1–0.9 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; foliate; with spatulate cotyledons; straight, or C-shaped, or U-shaped (Aphloia); parallel to seed length; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed, or moderately developed (Streptothamnus); 0.4–0.9 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 6–20 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; flat (rarely terete); smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally cordate (usually); equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle small; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
Pantropical and pansubtropical. New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Minor, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania.
Notes
Airy Shaw: 10 tribes: Berberidopsideae - fruit berrylike; Erythospermae - berry or capsule or woody and indehiscent; Oncobeae - capsular, berrylike, or woody and indehiscent; Pangieae - fruit various; Homalieae - fruit various; Scolopieae- various; Casearieae - fruit various; Bembicieae - fruit unknown.
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ISTA listed seeds.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Dovyalis hebecarpa (Gardner) Warb. -- Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr. -- Pangium edule Reinw. -- Symbols: aagricultural and vegetable seeds (Table 2A Part 1); ttree and shrub species (Table 2A Part 2); fflower, spice, herb, and medicinal seeds (Table 2A Part 3); wweed seeds. -- Last updated September 2008.
Accepted genera
Abatia Ruiz & Pav. -- Ahernia Merr. -- Aphaerema Miers -- Aphloia (DC.) Benn. -- Azara Ruiz & Pav. -- Baileyoxylon C. T. White -- Banara Aubl. -- Bartholomaea Standl. & Steyerm. -- Bembicia Oliv. -- Bennettiodendron Merr. -- Berberidopsis Hook. f. -- Buchnerodendron Gürke -- Byrsanthus Guill., nom. cons. -- Calantica Jaub. ex Tul. -- Caloncoba Gilg -- Camptostylus Gilg -- Carpotroche Endl. -- Carrierea Franch. -- Casearia Jacq. -- Chiangiodendron T. Wendt -- Chlorocarpa Alston -- Dasylepis Oliv. -- Dissomeria Hook. f. ex Benth. -- Dovyalis E. Mey. ex Arn. -- Eleutherandra Slooten -- Erythrospermum Thouars, nom. cons. -- Euceraea Mart. -- Flacourtia Comm. ex L'Hér. -- Gerrardina Oliv. -- Grandidiera Jaub. -- Gynocardia R. Br. -- Hasseltia Kunth -- Hasseltiopsis Sleumer -- Hecatostemon S. F. Blake -- Hemiscolopia Slooten -- Homalium Jacq. -- Hydnocarpus Gaertn. -- Idesia Maxim., nom. cons. -- Itoa Hemsl. -- Kiggelaria L. -- Laetia Loefl. ex L., nom. cons. -- Lasiochlamys Pax & K. Hoffm. -- Lindackeria C. Presl -- Ludia Comm. ex Juss. -- Lunania Hook., nom. cons. -- Macrohasseltia L. O. Williams -- Mayna Aubl. -- Mocquerysia Hua -- Neopringlea S. Watson -- Neoptychocarpus Buchheim -- Neosprucea Sleumer -- Olmediella Baill. -- Oncoba Forssk. -- Ophiobotrys Gilg -- Osmelia Thwaites -- Pangium Reinw. -- Peterodendron Sleumer -- Phyllobotryon Müll. Arg. -- Phylloclinium Baill. -- Pineda Ruiz & Pav. -- Plagiopteron Griff. -- Pleuranthodendron L. O. Williams -- Poggea Gürke -- Poliothyrsis Oliv. -- Priamosia Urb. -- Prockia P. Browne ex L. -- Prockiopsis Baill. -- Pseudoscolopia Gilg -- Pseudosmelia Sleumer -- Rawsonia Harv. & Sond. -- Ryania Vahl, nom. cons. -- Ryparosa Blume -- Samyda Jacq., nom. cons. -- Scaphocalyx Ridl. -- Scolopia Schreb., nom. cons. -- Scottellia Oliv. -- Soyauxia Oliv. -- Streptothamnus F. Muell. -- Tetrathylacium Poepp. -- Tisonia Baill. -- Trichadenia Thwaites -- Trichostephanus Gilg -- Trimeria Harv. -- Xylosma G. Forst., nom. cons. -- Xylotheca Hochst. -- Zuelania A. Rich.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 388. Sleumer, H.O. 1980. Flacourtiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 22:1–499; Lemke, D.E. 1988. A synopsis of Flacourtiaceae. Aliso 12:29–43.
General references
Airy Shaw, H.K. 1973. A dictionary of the flowering plants and ferns, 1,131 pp. University Press, Cambridge, Corner, E.J.H. 1976. The seeds of Dicots, esp. vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, New York, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Flora Neotropica. 1968–74. Nos. 1–14. Hafner Publishing Company, Darien and 1976-. Nos. 15-present. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx [monograph number], Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) and 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) and 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R. and J.V. Dennis. 1976. World guide to tropical drift seeds and fruits, 240 pp. The New York Times Book Co., New York, Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, and J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 and amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Martin, A.C. 1946. The comparative internal morphology of seeds. Amer. Midl. Naturalist 36:513–660, Roosmalen, M.G.M. van. 1985. Fruits of the Guianan flora, 483 pp. Institute of Systematic Botany, Wageningen Agricultural University. Drukkerij Veenman B.V., Wageningen, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Roosmalen, Engler & Prantl. Seed illustration(s): Engler & Prantl, Gunn & Dennis. Embryo illustration(s): Martin, Engler & Prantl.
• Fruit. 1 of 10. Azara uruguayensis (Speg.) Sleumer: fruits. • Seed. 2 of 10. Azara uruguayensis (Speg.) Sleumer: seeds. • Fruit. 3 of 10. Caloncoba welwitschii (Oliv.) Gilg: fruits. • Seed. 4 of 10. Caloncoba welwitschii (Oliv.) Gilg: seed. • Fruit. 5 of 10. Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr.: fruit. • Seed. 6 of 10. Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr.: seeds. • Fruit. 7 of 10. Oncoba dentata Oliv.: fruit. • Seed. 8 of 10. Oncoba dentata Oliv.: seeds. • Seed. 9 of 10. Dovyalis caffra (Hook. f. & Harv.) Warb.: seeds. • Embryo. 10 of 10. Abatia parviflora Ruiz & Pavon: embryo.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. Family guide for fruits and seeds: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 12th April 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
