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.
Fruits: Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; 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.
, or capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
(not Spjut & samaroidlike but not a samarasamara:
a winged, indehiscent, dry fruit containing a single (rarely two) seed(s)
); 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; crowned by sepalssepal:
a member of the outer envelope of a flower (calyx)
(at least for 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.); not within accessory organ(s), or within accessory organ(s); within calyxcalyx:
the outer whorl of the perianth; all the sepals of a flower
(very short & at least for 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.); 1-seeded to more than 1 but less than 10-seeded; 1–3-seeded (per cell); from 1–5 cm long; 0.8–1.8 cm long; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterilesterile:
lacking male and/or female reproductive parts; also, not producing fruit or seed
carpels; not sulcatesulcate:
surface relief—having one or more elongate, relatively narrow and shallow depressions or grooves
; apexapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
not beaked; indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
, or dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of 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; 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
scarlet red, or white, or black, or green, or yellow, or brown (all shades) (ish red); durable; glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
, or not glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
(with hairs); hairs short (densely pubescentpubescent:
surface relief—bearing hairs
or shortly ciliateciliate:
with a marginal fringe of hairs
); hairs dense (& margins may be ciliateciliate:
with a marginal fringe of hairs
); hairs not glandularglandular:
surface relief—covered with small, raised secretory glands, regular or irregularly shaped, translucent or opaque, and maybe distinctly colored
; without armature; smooth; with wing(s), or without wing(s); 2–3-winged; 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. 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
; thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence; without secretory cavities; 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; narrowly ellipsoidellipsoid:
3D shape—elliptic
; 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 without food reserves; 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; 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; membranousmembranous:
texture—extremely thin, pliable, and fairly tough
; not becoming mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
when wetted; surrounding embryo. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 2 per seed; partially filling testatesta:
seed coat
(with food reserve); 1 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; equal in size; not punctatepunctate:
surface relief—dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands or with colored dots, similar to pitted
dotted.
Literature specific to this family: Fernando, E.S. & C.J. Quinn. 1995. Picramniaceae, a new family, and a recircumscription of Simaroubaceae. Taxon 44:177–181; Liogier, A.H. 1985. La flora de la espanola. III. Universidad Central del Este, San Pedro de Macorís; Thomas, W.W. 1997. A new species of Picramnia (Picramniaceae) from the Atlantic coastal forest of southern Bahia, Brazil. Brittonia 49:380–383; Cronquist, A. 1944. Studies in the Simaroubaceae - IV. Resume of the American genera. Brittonia 5:129–147; Adams, C.D. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica. University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
General references: Engler, A. & K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig.
Authors: M. Islam, A. Gottlieb, M. Maher, J. Scher, A. Redford
Content last updated August 2024
idtools.org
