Content is from Kirkbride et al. 2006, without modification. Updates are forthcoming.
Fruits: Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; Strychnos for first two amphisarcum, or berry, or drupe, or capsule, or nuculanium (Newbergia); loculicidal capsule, or septicidal capsule, or septifragal capsule, or pyxidium capsule, or poricidal capsule (Mitrasacme & 4 families: Campanulaceae, Loganiaceae, Saxifragaceae, Scrophulariaceae); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; without persistent central column; not within accessory organ(s), or within accessory organ(s); within calyx; 1-seeded to many-seeded; 1-seeded (-many); with 2–3(–5)-carpellate (Desfontainia); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; in transection terete; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent (Adenoplea, Adenoplusia, Nicodemia). Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp red; durable; hard; without armature; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp absent, or present; fibrous, or hard; composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system. Endocarp present, or absent; not separating from exocarp; thin, or thick, or woody; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; smooth, or not smooth; with rugose; without wing; 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 absent. Seed larger than minute to minute; less than 1 mm long to 10 to less than 25 mm long; 0.8–23 mm long (at least); ellipsoid, or reniform; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without markedly different marginal tissue; with gelatinous pellicle layer; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; surface unsmooth, or smooth; surface with discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface papillate; surface colliculate; 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 (Strychnos); with hairs over surface; with short hairs (at least); densely hairy (at least); with straight hairs; without glandular pubescence; often with wing(s), or without wings; 1–2-winged; with wing encompassing seed, or wings at both ends; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades), or orange; crustaceous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve, or surrounding embryo. Hilum punctate (at least). Endosperm development cellular, or nuclear, or helobial (Mitrasacme); copious to scant; fleshy, or cartilaginous, or mealy, or hard; smooth; without starch; with proteins, hemicellulose, oils, and saccharose; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); 0.5 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; conical, or foliate; with spatulate cotyledons; dwarf; straight, or arcuate (slightly in Gardneria); parallel to seed length; surrounding endosperm; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; 0.1–0.7 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle, or somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 1–2.7 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; thin; flat; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed, or vestigial; straight; not thickened.
Literature specific to this family: Torrey, J. 1858. Botany of the Boundary, vol.2, part 1, plate 36. In: W.H. Emory, ed., Rep. U.S. Mex. bound. C. Wendell, Washington, DC.
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, 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, 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, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Authors: M. Islam, A. Miller, M. Maher, J. Scher, A. Redford
Content last updated November 2022
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