Sabiaceae

Disclaimer

Content is from Kirkbride et al. 2006, without modification. 
Updates are forthcoming.

Taxonomy

Sabiaceae Blume

Common name: Sabia Family.

Number of genera: 3 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 48 species.

Disseminule

Fruit (intact or entire).

Description

Fruits: Pistil(s) compound, or simple; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple, or schizocarp; drupe, or nuculanium; druparium; without persistent central column; with styles(s); sub at base or nearly basal; not within accessory organ(s); more than 1 but less than 10-seeded; 2(–3)-seeded; less than 1 cm long; 0.8 cm long; with 2(–3)-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; with carpels separating at style; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; apex beaked; apex long beaked, or moderately beaked; indehiscent. Epicarp blue (bright); durable; glabrous; without armature; fresh smooth, or not smooth (upon drying); wrinkled; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present; fleshy; composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system. Endocarp present; not separating from exocarp; bony, or crustaceous; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; stone unilocular; not smooth; with pits, or sculptures, or 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 in transection sub terete, or compressed; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without food reserves, or without apparent food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; 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; without wings; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; membranous, or coriaceous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo, or surrounding food reserve. Endosperm development helobial; scant. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; completely filling testa (no food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); 3 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; foliate; flatly coiled (circinate); with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; with cotyledons containing oils; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; 0.2–0.5 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 3.6–5 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; partially concealing hypocotyl-radicle; thick, or thin; twice-folded, or circinate; smooth, or rugose; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed; curved (against cotyledons); not thickened.

Distribution

General distribution: New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: Middle America, South America, Asia Major, and Asia Southeastern.
 

Notes

Airy Shaw: "Fruit of 2 flattened dorsally gibbous drupaceous carpels".

References

General references: Airy Shaw, H.K. 1973. A dictionary of the flowering plants and ferns, 1,131 pp. University Press, Cambridge, 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, 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, Hooker, J.D. 1873 and forward. Icones Plantarum. William & Norgate, London. (plate number cited in text within [ ]), 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.