Corsiaceae

Taxonomy

Family name: Corsiaceae Beccari

Synonym(s): Achratinitaceae F. A. Barkley, nom. nud.

Common name(s): corsia family

*Number of genera/species: 3/27

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

Disseminule

seed

Description

Fruit dehiscentdehiscent:
(v. dehisce) splitting open at maturity to release contents (of a fruit)
, loculicidalloculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels
dehiscing to the base (Corsia) or at terminal aperture (Arachnitis), 20–35 mm long, linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
to oblongoblong:
2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded
, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
or triangulartriangular:
2D shape—three relatively straight sides with distinct corners; more angular than teardrop-shaped
in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
, many seeded. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
purple, brown, dulldull:
reflecting only a low proportion of incident light, with no apparent sheen
, glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
.

Seed fusiformfusiform:
spindle-shaped; broadest at the middle and tapering at both ends
, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
, 0.6–3 mm long (minute in Arachnitis), with seed coat elongated into apicalapical:
at or pertaining to the end of the seed or fruit distal from its point of attachment (i.e., base)
and basalbasal:
at or pertaining to the point of attachment; (of embryo) embryo occupies one end of the seed
wing. Funicle long, exceeding margins of fruit, or short, not persistent in fruit. Seed coat reddish brown to black, obscurely longitudinally groovedgrooved:
surface relief—linear depressions that may be single or form a series of grooves over the surface
or reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
with punctatepunctate:
surface relief—dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands or with colored dots, similar to pitted
hilumhilum:
on seeds, the scar indicating where the funiculus was attached; on grass caryopses, the scar visible on the outer caryopsis surface revealing where the seed is attached on the inner fruit wall surface; or in Asteraceae cypselae, the scar visible on the pericarp revealing where the fruit was attached to the receptacle
.

Embryo minute, undifferentiated from food reserves, acotyledonous. Endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
present.

Identification features

Fruit
Type loculicidal loculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsule
Size range 20–35 mm long
Shape(s) linear, oblong
Color(s) purple, brown
Seed
Size range 0.6–3 mm long
Shape(s) fusiformfusiform:
spindle-shaped; broadest at the middle and tapering at both ends
Surface relief reticulate, grooved
Color(s) reddish brown, black
Unique features Bicaudate seeds, numerous, very small, seed coat usually reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
.
Other
Embryo minute, undifferentiated from food reserves, acotyledonous
Nutritive tissuenutritive tissue:
tissue within the seeds that nourishes the developing embryo; such as endosperm, perisperm, or chalazosperm in angiosperms; megagametophyte in gymnosperms
endosperm endosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
multicellular (Corsia); reduced to few cells (Arachnitis)

 

Distribution

Western South America to Falkland Islands, China, Australasia.

Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.

References

Baskin and Baskin 2021Baskin and Baskin 2021:
Baskin C and Baskin J. 2021. Relationship of the lateral embryo (in grasses) to other monocot embryos: A status up-grade. Seed Science Research 31 (3): 199-210. doi:10.1017/S0960258521000209
; Dahlgren et al. 1985Dahlgren et al. 1985:
Dahlgren RMT, Clifford HT, and Yeo PF. 1985. The families of the monocotyledons: structure, evolution, and taxonomy. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 520 pp.
; Flora of Australia 2021+Flora of Australia 2021+:
Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Accessed January-May 2021. URL: http://www.ausflora.org.au
; 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 2020ndash;January 2022. URL: https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm .
; Kubitzki et al. 1990+Kubitzki et al. 1990+:
Kubitzki K et al., eds. 1990+. The families and genera of vascular plants. 7+ vols. Berlin etc.
; Stevenson and Loconte 1995Stevenson and Loconte 1995:
Stevenson DW and Loconte H. 1995. A cladistic analysis of monocot families. In: Rudall PJ, Cribb PJ, Cutler DF, and Humphries CJ, eds. Monocotyledons: Systematics and Evolution. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
; Takhtajan 2009Takhtajan 2009:
Takhtajan A. 2009. Flowering plants: Second edition. Springer Nature, Switzerland. 871 pp.
; Watson and Dallwitz 1992+Watson and Dallwitz 1992+:
Watson L and Dallwitz MJ. 1992+. The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 6th Accessed September 2020-September 2022. URL: delta-intkey.com

*The number of genera and species is based on Christenhusz and Byng 2016Christenhusz and Byng 2016:
Christenhusz MJM and Byng JW. 2016. The number of known plant species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa 261 (3): 201ndash;217. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1
, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.

  Seeds:   Corsia ornata ; Photo by R. Gibbons, USDA APHIS PPQ, Kirkbride et al. (2006)

Seeds: Corsia ornata; Photo by R. Gibbons, USDA APHIS PPQ, Kirkbride et al. (2006)

  Seeds:   Corsia ornata ; Photo by R. Gibbons, USDA APHIS PPQ, Kirkbride et al. (2006)

Seeds: Corsia ornata; Photo by R. Gibbons, USDA APHIS PPQ, Kirkbride et al. (2006)

  Embryo:   Corsia ornata ; Illustration by K. Parker, Kirkbride et al. (2006)
Embryo: Corsia ornata; Illustration by K. Parker, Kirkbride et al. (2006)
  Fruit, seed:   Corsia ornata  (C, fruit in transection; E fruit);  Arachnites uniflora  (G, fruit in transection); Illustration from Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, Teil 2, Abt. 1-6 (1889)

Fruit, seed: Corsia ornata (C, fruit in transection; E fruit); Arachnites uniflora (G, fruit in transection); Illustration from Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, Teil 2, Abt. 1-6 (1889)

  Flower :  Arachnitis uniflora ; Photo by aacocucci, gbif.org

Flower: Arachnitis uniflora; Photo by aacocucci, gbif.org

  Flower :  Arachnitis uniflora ; Photo by eitel, gbif.org

Flower: Arachnitis uniflora; Photo by eitel, gbif.org