Nyssaceae
Encyclopedia
Nyssaceae is a small family of flowering
tree
s closely related to and often included within the dogwood
family (Cornaceae
). Nyssaceae commonly includes the following genera:
At least one other extinct genus Mastixicarpum, very similar to Diplopanax, is known from fossil
evidence.
In some treatments, Davidia is split off into its own family, the Davidiaceae. Diplopanax and Mastixia are also sometimes separated into the family Mastixiaceae. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
currently (2009) includes the genera of Nyssaceae within Cornaceae, but this classification remains unstable.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s closely related to and often included within the dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
family (Cornaceae
Cornaceae
Cornaceae is a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. It contains approximately 110 species, mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen. Members of this family usually have opposite or alternate simple leaves, four- or five-parted flowers clustered in...
). Nyssaceae commonly includes the following genera:
- NyssaTupeloThe tupelo , black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa , is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves...
, the tupelos: about 7-10 species in eastern North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and EastEast AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
to Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic... - Camptotheca, the happy trees: two species in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- Davidia, the dove tree, handkerchief tree, or ghost tree: one species in central China
- DiplopanaxDiplopanaxDiplopanax is a genus of flowering trees usually placed in the family Cornaceae. Its two known extant species inhabit the wet tropical mountains of Vietnam and southern China. They are broad-leaved evergreen trees with woody fruits and white or yellow flowers.Diplopanax was originally described...
: two species in southern China and VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –... - MastixiaMastixiaMastixia is a genus of about 19 species of resinous evergreen trees, usually placed in the family Cornaceae. Its range extends from India through Southeast Asia and New Guinea to the Solomon Islands...
: about nineteen species in Southeast Asia
At least one other extinct genus Mastixicarpum, very similar to Diplopanax, is known from fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
evidence.
In some treatments, Davidia is split off into its own family, the Davidiaceae. Diplopanax and Mastixia are also sometimes separated into the family Mastixiaceae. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
currently (2009) includes the genera of Nyssaceae within Cornaceae, but this classification remains unstable.