Lepidobotryaceae
Encyclopedia
Lepidobotryaceae is a flowering plant family
in the order
Celastrales
. It contains only two species, Lepidobotrys staudtii
and Ruptiliocarpon caracolito
.
trees. The leaves are alternate and arranged in two rows along the stems. The blade is elliptic in shape and the margin is entire
. The leaves appear simple, but are actually unifoliate. A unifoliate leaf is a type of compound leaf that consists of a single leaflet mounted on the end of a rachis
. There is a joint where the leaflet is attached to the rachis. In Lepidobotryaceae, this joint bears a single, elongate stipel
, and there is a pair of small stipules where the petiole
attaches to the stem. After the emergence of the leaf, the stipel and stipules soon fall away.
The flowers are produced in small inflorescence
s opposite the leaves. They are small and greenish with five sepal
s and five petal
s. The sepals and petals are similar in size and appearance, free from each other, or very shortly united at the base. In the flower bud, the sepals are arranged quincuncially. This means that two are inside, two are outside, and one of them has one margin exposed and the other covered. The nectary disk is fleshy in Lepidobotrys, but extended into a tube in Ruptiliocarpon. The stamen
s are in two whorls
of five, one whorl opposite the sepals and the other opposite the petals. Those in the outer whorl, opposite the sepals, are longer. The filament
s are fused at the base, shortly in Lepidobotrys, but forming an extension of the tubular nectary in Ruptiliocarpon. The pollen is produced in four theca
e on each anther. The stigmas are elongate, appearing as false style
s, known as stylodia.
The ovary
is located inside the flower, rather than below. It has two or three locule
s, with two ovule
s per locule. The ovules are attached to the partition that separates the locules, near its summit. The fruit is a capsule
with one, or rarely, two seeds. The seeds are black and partly covered with an orange aril
.
In 2000, a DNA analysis of the eudicots based on the rbcL gene showed that the families Lepidobotryaceae, Parnassiaceae
, and Celastraceae
form a strongly supported clade
. The authors of this study recommended that these three families constitute the order Celastrales. This result was strongly supported by later studies.
The families that Lepidobotrys had usually been placed into, Linaceae and Oxalidaceae, are now placed in the orders Malpighiales
and Oxalidales
, respectively, which are closely related to Celastrales. The orders Celastrales, Oxalidales, and Malpighiales, along with the unplaced family Huaceae
form a group known as the COM clade of the Rosids
.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Celastrales
Celastrales
Celastrales is an order of flowering plants. They are found throughout the tropics and subtropics, with only a few species extending far into the temperate regions. There are about 1200 to 1350 species in about 100 genera. All but 7 of these genera are in the large family Celastraceae...
. It contains only two species, Lepidobotrys staudtii
Lepidobotrys
Lepidobotrys is a flowering plant genus in the family Lepidobotryaceae. It contains only one species, Lepidobotrys staudtii. L. staudtii is a small African tree, ranging from Cameroon eastward to Ethiopia....
and Ruptiliocarpon caracolito
Ruptiliocarpon
Ruptiliocarpon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Lepidobotryaceae. The genus has only one species, Ruptiliocarpon caracolito. It is a tall tree that grows in several small isolated areas of central and South America. It is known from Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and Suriname...
.
Description
The Lepidobotryaceae are dioeciousDioecious
Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...
trees. The leaves are alternate and arranged in two rows along the stems. The blade is elliptic in shape and the margin is entire
Entire
*In philately, see Cover*In mathematics, see Entire function*In animal fancy and animal husbandry, entire indicates that an animal has not been desexed, that is, spayed or neutered...
. The leaves appear simple, but are actually unifoliate. A unifoliate leaf is a type of compound leaf that consists of a single leaflet mounted on the end of a rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
. There is a joint where the leaflet is attached to the rachis. In Lepidobotryaceae, this joint bears a single, elongate stipel
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
, and there is a pair of small stipules where the petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
attaches to the stem. After the emergence of the leaf, the stipel and stipules soon fall away.
The flowers are produced in small inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s opposite the leaves. They are small and greenish with five sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and five petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s. The sepals and petals are similar in size and appearance, free from each other, or very shortly united at the base. In the flower bud, the sepals are arranged quincuncially. This means that two are inside, two are outside, and one of them has one margin exposed and the other covered. The nectary disk is fleshy in Lepidobotrys, but extended into a tube in Ruptiliocarpon. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are in two whorls
Whorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
of five, one whorl opposite the sepals and the other opposite the petals. Those in the outer whorl, opposite the sepals, are longer. The filament
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are fused at the base, shortly in Lepidobotrys, but forming an extension of the tubular nectary in Ruptiliocarpon. The pollen is produced in four theca
Theca
A theca refers to any case, covering, or sheath.In botany, the theca of an angiosperm consists a pair of microsporangia that are adjacent to each other and share a common area of dehiscence called the stomium. Any part of a microsporophyll that bears microsporangia is called an anther. Most...
e on each anther. The stigmas are elongate, appearing as false style
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
s, known as stylodia.
The ovary
Ovary (plants)
In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals...
is located inside the flower, rather than below. It has two or three locule
Locule
A locule is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism ....
s, with two ovule
Ovule
Ovule means "small egg". In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: The integument forming its outer layer, the nucellus , and the megaspore-derived female gametophyte in its center...
s per locule. The ovules are attached to the partition that separates the locules, near its summit. The fruit is a capsule
Capsule (fruit)
In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
with one, or rarely, two seeds. The seeds are black and partly covered with an orange aril
Aril
An aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, the mace of the nutmeg seed, or the...
.
In 2000, a DNA analysis of the eudicots based on the rbcL gene showed that the families Lepidobotryaceae, Parnassiaceae
Parnassiaceae
Parnassiaceae Gray is a family of Flowering plants in the eudicot order Celastrales. It is not recognized in the APG III system of plant classification. When that system was published in 2009, Parnassiaceae was treated as a segregate of an expanded Celastraceae. Parnassiaceae has only two...
, and Celastraceae
Celastraceae
The Celastraceae , is a family of about 90-100 genera and 1,300 species of vines, shrubs and small trees, belonging to the order Celastrales...
form a strongly supported clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
. The authors of this study recommended that these three families constitute the order Celastrales. This result was strongly supported by later studies.
The families that Lepidobotrys had usually been placed into, Linaceae and Oxalidaceae, are now placed in the orders Malpighiales
Malpighiales
Malpighiales is one of the largest orders of flowering plants, containing about 16000 species, approximately 7.8% of the eudicots. The order is very diverse and hard to recognize except with molecular phylogenetic evidence. It is not part of any of the classification systems that are based only on...
and Oxalidales
Oxalidales
The Oxalidales are an order of flowering plants, included within the rosid subgroup of eudicots. The following families are typically placed here:* Family Brunelliaceae* Family Cephalotaceae * Family Connaraceae...
, respectively, which are closely related to Celastrales. The orders Celastrales, Oxalidales, and Malpighiales, along with the unplaced family Huaceae
Huaceae
Huaceae is a family of plant in the rosids group, which has been classed in the orders Malpighiales, Malvales, and Violales or in its own order Huales. The APG II system places it in the clade eurosids I, whereas the APG III system of 2009 placed it within the Oxalidales. It contains the following...
form a group known as the COM clade of the Rosids
Rosids
The rosids are members of a large clade of flowering plants, containing about 70,000 species, more than a quarter of all angiosperms. The clade is divided into 16 to 20 orders, depending upon circumscription and classification. These orders, in turn, together comprise about 140 families...
.
External links
- Lepidobotryaceae in Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards).
- Botanic Glossary
- Adolf Engler 1902 in Bot. Jahrb.
- Jean Leonard 1950