Gentianaceae

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

Gentianaceae A.L. Jussieu

Common name: Gentian Family.

Number of genera: 76 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 1200 species.

Disseminule

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

Description

Fruits: Pistil(s) compound; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
, or amphisarcum, or 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.
(Chironia); poricidalporicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, fruit opening by pores or flaps (often near the top)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
(Flora Neotrpica [41], but not Spjut), or fissuricidal capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
(Voyria (Leiphaimos)), or ceratium capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
(Voyria), or poricidalporicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, fruit opening by pores or flaps (often near the top)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
(of authors, but not Spjut), or 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
(Gentiana of authors, but of Spjut); 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
; 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.
indehiscent; 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.
without central placental mass; without persistent central column; many-seeded; many; with 2-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterilesterile:
lacking male and/or female reproductive parts; also, not producing fruit or seed
carpels; sulcatesulcate:
surface relief—having one or more elongate, relatively narrow and shallow depressions or grooves
; in transection tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
; apexapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
not beakedbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
, or 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; 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
(assumed); without armature; without wing(s); without apicalapical:
at or pertaining to the end of the seed or fruit distal from its point of attachment (i.e., base)
respiratory hole. Mesocarpmesocarp:
the middle layer of the pericarp, if divided into layers
present, or absent; fleshy; composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system. Endocarpendocarp:
the inner layer of the pericarp, if divided into layers
present; not separating from exocarpexocarp:
outer layer of fruit wall or pericarp, if divided into layers; note here used synonymously with epicarp
; thin; 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 minute, or larger than minute; less than 1 mm long (to ?); straight, or C-shapedC-shaped:
2D-shape—semiannulate, curved into the shape of the letter 'C'
, or sigmoid, or fusiformfusiform:
spindle-shaped; broadest at the middle and tapering at both ends
; 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; without markedly different marginalmarginal:
at, on, or close to the margin or border
tissue; without fleshy or leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
layer over hard layer; tight (assumed); dulldull:
reflecting only a low proportion of incident light, with no apparent sheen
, or shinyshiny:
uniformly reflecting a high proportion of incident light at all angles
; surface unsmooth; surface with discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface papillatepapillate:
surface relief—bearing minute, distinct, broad-based projections, tapering to a rounded apex
; surface reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
, or rugoserugose:
wrinkled
, or sculptured, or ridgedridged:
surface relief—raised, thick ridges, sharp edged or rounded, usually in a series that may cover the entire surface
(finely); 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
; without wings; without collar; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades) (at least); thin; not becoming mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Endosperm development cellular, or nuclear; scant, or copious (Menyantheae); fleshy; smooth; with starch; with hemicellulose, or oils, or proteins; 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, or undifferentiated from food reserve (achlorophyllus genera seeds have 3–10 cells); well developed, or rudimentaryrudimentary:
(of embryo) embryo is small and fills less than a quarter of the seed and can be variable in shapes, such as linear, spatulate, or oval
; 1 per seed; partially filling testatesta:
seed coat
(with food reserve); 0.2–0.9 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axileaxile:
on or of the axis
and centric, or basalbasal:
at or pertaining to the point of attachment; (of embryo) embryo occupies one end of the seed
; linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
, or foliatefoliate:
appearing leaf-like
; 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; dwarf; shield shaped; straight; parallel to seed length; capping one end of endosperm; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons, or acotyledonous. Cotyledons 2; tiny, or well developed; divaricate, or not divaricate; 0.1–0.5 times length of embryo; 1–2 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; thin; flat; sculptured; with apicesapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
cleft; with margins separate; basally cordatecordate:
2D shape—heart-shaped, with attachment at or near the broad end (compare obcordate)
; 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 vestigial, or small; straight; not thickened.

Distribution

General distribution: Cosmopolitan (but most common in temperate and subtropical regions and in tropical mountains). New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: North America to Oceania.

Notes

Notes: Maas & Ruyters in Flora Neotropica [41]: 3 fruit types for Voyria: Indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
; septicidally dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
; partly dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
by hole in middle section (septicidally) - latter occurs in 4 spp. Voyriella fruit is an indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
beakedbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
capsule, and this is not scored.

References

Literature specific to this family: Maas, P.J.M. & P. Ruyters. 1986. Votria and Voyriella (saprophytic Gentianaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 41:1–93.

General references: 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. & K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Flora Neotropica. 1968–74. Nos. 1–14. Hafner Publishing Company, Darien & 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) & 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. & C.A. Ritchie. 1988. Identification of disseminulesdisseminule:
detachable plant part capable of being disseminated and of propagating, commonly a seed or fruit
listed in the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1719:1–313, 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, Martin, A.C. 1946. The comparative internal morphology of seeds. Amer. Midl. Naturalist 36:513–660, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182, and Wood, C.E., Jr. 1974. A student's atlas of flowering plants: Some dicotyledons of eastern North America, 120 pp. Harper & Row, New York.