Cunoniaceae

Disclaimer

Content is from Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020-January 2022. URL:  https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm ., without modification. 
Updates are forthcoming.

Taxonomy

Cunoniaceae R. Brown

Common name: Cunonia Family.

Number of genera: 22 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 340 species.

Disseminule

Fruit (dehisced), or fruit (intact or entire), or seed.

Description

Fruits: Pistil(s) simple, or compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium, or anthocarpanthocarp:
simple or compound and including some tissue of non-ovarian origin (accessory tissue)
; compound, or schizocarpschizocarp:
usually dry fruit splitting between two or more locules to form distinct, indehiscent, usually one seeded segments; fruit derived from a single, superior or inferior, compound ovary; compare to mericarp
, or simple; capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
, or folliclefollicle:
a dry to (rarely) fleshy fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along a single longitudinal suture, derived from a single, superior, simple ovary; the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa
(not Spjut), or samarasamara:
a winged, indehiscent, dry fruit containing a single (rarely two) seed(s)
(Gilibeea); coccarium (Calli comacoma:
a tuft of hairs, often attached to the tip of seeds
), or follicarium (Spiraeanthemum); capsiconum (Pancheria); septicidalsepticidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally by separating between the septa of adjacent carpels
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
(Acrophyllum); capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
not inflated; capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; simple; pseudosamara (Aphanopetalum); without persistent central column, or with persistent central column (Cunonia); valves not diverging at top of central column; within accessory organ(s), or not within accessory organ(s); within sepals; persistent, or evanescent; 1-seeded to many-seeded; 1-seeded (to many); with 1(–5)-carpellate (3–5: Goldberg & Cronquist); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterilesterile:
lacking male and/or female reproductive parts; also, not producing fruit or seed
carpels; apexapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
not beaked; dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
, or indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
. Dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
unit seed(s). Dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
regularly; at apexapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
(assumed); and shedding seeds; without replumreplum:
the rim, formed by the persistent placentas, and connected by a false septum in Brassicaceae fruits. The fruit valves are attached to this rim and separate from it in dehiscent fruits.
. Epicarpepicarp:
outer layer of fruit wall or pericarp, if divided into layers; note here used synonymously with exocarp
durable; glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
, or not glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
(with hairs) (tomentosetomentose:
surface relief—pubescence that is bent and matted, forming a woolly coating; often the hairs are silver or gray-colored
); hairs not glandularglandular:
surface relief—covered with small, raised secretory glands, regular or irregularly shaped, translucent or opaque, and maybe distinctly colored
; without armature; without wing(s), or with wing(s); 2-winged; with wing(s) laterallateral:
(of embryo) embryo lies along the side of the seed, generally towards one end; of, at, or from the side; in grasses, can refer to the sides adjacent to the dorsal and ventral sides
(see Gillbeea); without apicalapical:
at or pertaining to the end of the seed or fruit distal from its point of attachment (i.e., base)
respiratory hole. Endocarpendocarp:
the inner layer of the pericarp, if divided into layers
present, or absent; not separating from exocarpexocarp:
outer layer of fruit wall or pericarp, if divided into layers; note here used synonymously with epicarp
; fibrousfibrous:
texture—long, flexible threads, thicker than hairs, that densely cover and obscure the surface
, or thin, or woodywoody:
texture—consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
; splitting into 1-seeded pyrenespyrene:
the hard inner portion of a drupe, consisting of a bony endocarp and an enclosed seed
, or not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; smooth; without wing; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; without secretory cavities; without mechanism for seedling escape; without grooves; without longitudinallongitudinal:
of or relating to length or the lengthwise dimension
ridges. Funiculusfuniculus:
(alt. funicle) stalk connecting the ovule (later seed) to the ovary (later fruit) placenta
short; short without seed bearing hookswith hooks:
bristles or spines with curved or backwards pointing tips, or with secondary bristles along their length
(retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.

Seeds: Arilaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
absent. Seed larger than minute; less than 1 mm long to 5 to less than 10 mm long; 0.4–6 mm long; angularangular:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles  
, or ellipsoidellipsoid:
3D shape—elliptic
, or lanceolatelanceolate:
2D shape—lance-shaped; much longer than wide, with widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex (compare oblanceolate)
; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beakbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
; without caudatecaudate:
tapering to a long, tail-like appendage
appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotestasarcotesta:
pulpy or fleshy outer layer of the seed coat, simulates aril
absent. Testatesta:
seed coat
present; with markedly different marginalmarginal:
at, on, or close to the margin or border
tissue, or without markedly different marginalmarginal:
at, on, or close to the margin or border
tissue; marginalmarginal:
at, on, or close to the margin or border
tissue corklike; without fleshy or leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
layer over hard layer; tight; surface unsmooth, or smooth; surface with discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface tuberculatetuberculate:
surface relief—bearing small, warty, swelling, rounded, or variously shaped projections
, or warted; surface reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
, or striatestriate:
surface relief—having fine, parallel lines, grooves or ridges
; 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; glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
, or pubescentpubescent:
surface relief—bearing hairs
; with hairs over surface, or tuft of hairs at one end (comacoma:
a tuft of hairs, often attached to the tip of seeds
), or tuft of hairs at each end, or hairs along margin; with short hairs; densely hairy; tomentosetomentose:
surface relief—pubescence that is bent and matted, forming a woolly coating; often the hairs are silver or gray-colored
; without agglutinated hairs; without glandularglandular:
surface relief—covered with small, raised secretory glands, regular or irregularly shaped, translucent or opaque, and maybe distinctly colored
pubescence; without wings, or with wing(s); without collar; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; colored; monochrome; thin; not becoming mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Rapheraphe:
a ridge or seam on the seed coat, formed by the portion of the funiculus united to the ovule wall in longitudinally curved ovules
conspicuous (raised & elongate), or inconspicuous; texture as testatesta:
seed coat
(assumed). Endosperm development nuclear; copious; fleshy; smooth; with starch; with oils; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apicalapical:
at or pertaining to the end of the seed or fruit distal from its point of attachment (i.e., base)
lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testatesta:
seed coat
(with food reserve); 0.5–0.7 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; foliatefoliate:
appearing leaf-like
, or linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
; with spatulatespatulate:
2D shape—like a spatula; rounded at the apex, with base long and tapered; (of embryo) embryo is straight and axile and centric with the cotyledons expanded to form the shape of a spatula or spoon; (of cotyledons) cotyledons expanded and wider than the stalk but not invested into the stalk
cotyledons (assumed); straight; parallel to seed length; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle, or gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed, or moderately developed; 0.3–0.9 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle, or as wide as hypocotyl-radicle; 1.7–4 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; flat; smooth; with apicesapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
entire; basally entire; equal in size; not punctatepunctate:
surface relief—dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands or with colored dots, similar to pitted
dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed; coiledcoiled:
(of embryo) linear embryo is very long and bent to form a coil whereby one end of the embryo is on the outside and the other end near the middle of the seed
; not thickened.

Distribution

General distribution: New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: Middle America, South America, Africa, Asia Southeastern, and Australia (to New Caledonia).

Notes

Dickson (1984) noted 12 genera have distinct fruit: 2 follicular & 10 septicidalsepticidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally by separating between the septa of adjacent carpels
: Cunonia carpels separate from central tissue (columnella?); 9 genera have indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
fruit: indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
, berryberry:
an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa.
, drupedrupe:
(indehiscent drupe) a fleshy, indehiscent fruit with one more hard pits enclosing seeds, derived from single, superior, simple or compound ovary; (dehiscent drupe) a fruit with a dry or fibrous to fleshy or leathery outer husk that early to tardily breaks apart (or opens), exposing one or more nutlike pits enclosing the seeds
, and winged fruit in Gillbeea. Goldberg also recognized Baueraceae.

References

Literature specific to this family: Dickison, W.C. 1984. Fruits and seeds of the Cunoniaceae. J. Arnold Arbor. 65:149–190; Lopez Naranjo, H. & H. Huber. 1971. Anatomia comparativa de las semillas de Brunellia y Weinmannia con respecto a su posicion sistematica. Pittieria 3:19–28.

General references: Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) & 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) & 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, & J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 & amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, LeMaout, E. & J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, & Co., London, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.