Ecdeiocoleaceae

Taxonomy

Family name: Ecdeiocoleaceae D. F. Cutler & Airy Shaw

Synonym(s): [none]

Common name(s): ecdeiocolea family

*Number of genera/species: 2/3

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

Disseminule

fruit or seed

Description

Fruit indehiscentindehiscent:
not opening on its own, as in a fruit
, acheneachene:
a dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, with seed attached to pericarp at a single point
(Ecdeiocolea), globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
, angledangled:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles  
in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
, with persistent tepalstepals:
a member of the perianth, when it cannot be differentiated into a calyx and corolla
, pedicelpedicel:
the stalk of a flower
, and stylestyle:
in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary; sometimes persisting in fruit
(style forms a beakbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
in E. rigens). 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
(Georgeantha), globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
, valvevalve:
in fruits, one of the parts into which a fruit separates at maturity
margins prominently thickened and angledangled:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles  
in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
. Fruit 2.5–4 mm long. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
brown, smooth or wrinkledwrinkled:
surface relief—shallow, irregular folds and furrows covering the surface; appearing overall though crumpled and then spread out
(E. rigens). 

Seed ellipsoidellipsoid:
3D shape—elliptic
, 1.5–2 mm long, 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
, reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
.

Embryo minute, straight. Endospermendosperm:
nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds
copious.

Identification features

Fruit
Type	acheneachene: a dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, with seed attached to pericarp at a single point
Size range	2.5–4 mm long
Shape(s)	globoseglobose: 3D shape—more or less spherical
Surface relief	smooth or wrinkled
Color(s)	brown
Unique features	Small achenesachene: a dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, with seed attached to pericarp at a single point or 3-locular capsulescapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit formed by two or more carpels with few strongly reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces seeds.
Seed
Size range	1.5–2 mm long
Shape(s)	ellipsoidellipsoid: 3D shape—elliptic
Surface relief	reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
Unique features	Small, strongly reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces seeds with minute embryos and copious endospermendosperm: nutritive starch- and oil-containing tissue present in many seeds .
Other
Embryo	minute, straight
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 copious

Distribution

Southwestern Australia.

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; Briggs and Johnson 1998Briggs and Johnson 1998:
Briggs BG and Johnson LAS. 1998. Georgeantha hexandra , a new genus and species of Ecdeiocoleaceae (Poales) from Western Australia. Telopea: Journal of Plant Systematics 7 (4): 307ndash;312.; 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.; Thiselton-Dyer 1897Thiselton-Dyer 1897:
Thiselton-Dyer WT. 1897. Flora capensis: being a systematic description of the plants of the Cape colony, Caffraria, amp; Port Natal (and neighbouring territories). Vol. 7. L. Reeve, Kent UK. 791 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.821

*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.