Taxaceae

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

Taxaceae S.F. Gray

Common name: Yew Family.

Number of genera: 5 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 18 species.

Disseminule

Cone, or seed.

Description

Cones: Fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
; arillocarpium when fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
(Spjut Fig. 10A&B & 2 families: Cephalotaxaceae, Taxaceae).

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
present; a true 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
; red (bright Taxus), or green, or black, or blue (blue-black or purple-green Torreya), or white; well developed; adnate to hilumhilum:
on seeds, the scar indicating where the funiculus was attached; on grass caryopses, the scar visible on the outer fruit surface revealing where the seed is attached on the inner fruit wall surface; or in Asteraceae cypselae, the scar visible on the outer fruit wall revealing where the fruit was attached to the receptacle
; fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
(or glutinous); of funicular origin; basalbasal:
at or pertaining to the point of attachment; (of embryo) embryo occupies one end of the seed
, or encompassing; fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
; cupshaped; unlobed. Seed larger than minute; 1 to less than 5 mm long to 5 to less than 10 mm long; 0.5 mm long (at least); oblongoblong:
2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded
; in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
; 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 endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
; 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 fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
or leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
layer over hard layer; tight; shinyshiny:
uniformly reflecting a high proportion of incident light at all angles
; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
; 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), or green (ish); bonybony:
very hard and rather brittle, like bone
; not becoming mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
copious; opaqueopaque:
not transmitting light
; smooth, or ruminateruminate:
testa or seed coat folded into the endosperm
(Torreya); without starch, or with starch (Taxus); 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); 0.1–0.5 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; 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; straight; parallel to seed length; embedded in endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; acotyledonous, or with 2 or more cotyledons (poorly developed). Cotyledons 2; tiny; not divaricate; 0.2 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle; 1 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; 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 small; straight; not thickened.

Distribution

General distribution: Pantemperate. New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: North America, Middle America, Europe, Asia Major, and Asia Southeastern.

References

General references: 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, 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, Page, C.N. 1990. Coniferophytina (Conifers and Ginkgoids). In: Kubitzki, K., ed., The families and genera of vascular plants, pp. 282–361. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 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, Schopmeyer, C.S. 1974. Seeds of Woodywoody:
texture—consisting mainly of indurate lignified tissues, characteristic of or resembling wood
plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450:1–883, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.