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Boraginales

(Order)

Overview

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Boraginales is a taxon at the rank of order in the group of flowering plants. The order includes Boraginaceae and related families.

Boraginales is recognized in neither of two major classification systems, the Cronquist system and the APG II system, but has been recognized in some recent references. The circumscription of Boraginales is essentially identical to the circumscription of Boraginaceae sensu APG. The APG system takes a broad view of Boraginaceae, including within it the traditionally recognized families Hydrophyllaceae and Lennoaceae based on recent molecular phylogenies that show that Boraginaceae as traditionally defined is paraphyletic with respect to these two families. APG includes Boraginaceae in the Euasterid clade but this family is otherwise unplaced; its precise relationship to other families in the Euasterid group remains unclear.

In the Cronquist system, Boraginaceae (including Cordiaceae, Ehretiaceae, and Heliotropiaceae) and Lennoaceae were placed in Lamiales, and Hydrophyllaceae in Solanales.

In some recent publications, Boraginaceae sensu APG is split into several families: Boraginaceae s.s., Cordiaceae, Ehretiaceae, Heliotropiaceae, and Lennoaceae and these families comprise the Boraginales.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Order Boraginales is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Boraginaceae

Herbs perennial, biennial, or annual, less often lianas, shrubs, or trees, usually bristly or scabrous-pubescent. Leaves simple, exstipulate, alternate, rarely opposite, entire or serrate at margin. Inflorescences often double scorpioid cymes, rarely solitary; bracts present or absent. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic. Calyx usually 5-parted or lobed, mostly persistent. Corolla tubular, campanulate, rotate, funnelform, or salverform; tube appendages 5, rarely more, mostly trapeziform, rarely absent, sometimes a ring of hairs present; limb usually 5-parted; lobes overlapping, rarely twisted in bud. Stamens 5, inserted on corolla tube or rarely at throat, included or rarely exserted; anthers introrse, 2-loculed, usually dorsifixed at base, less often medifixed, dehiscence longitudinal. Nectaries at base of corolla tube or on disc below ovary. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; locules 2 and each with 2 ovules, or 4 and each with 1 ovule; ovules nearly atropous, semianatropous, or anatropous. Style terminal or gynobasic, branched or not. Gynobase flat, fastigiate, or subulate. Fruit 1-4-seeded drupes or nutlets (mericarps) ; nutlets mostly dry, often ornamented with wings, prickles and/or glochids (stiff bristles with barbed or anchorlike tips) . Seeds vertical or oblique, coat membranous; embryo straight, less often curved; cotyledons flat, fleshy.[1] [more]

Hoplestigmataceae

[more]

Hydrophyllaceae

Herbs or shrubs, glabrous or pubescent, occasionally glandular, bristly, or thorny. Leaves alternate or opposite, occasionally in a basal rosette, simple or variously lobed or divided, without stipules. Inflorescences solitary flowers, cymose, or paniculate. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, usually 5-merous, often showy. Calyx ± gamosepalous, sinuses sometimes appendaged. Corolla gamopetalous, campanulate, tubular, or rotate; lobes overlapping in bud. Stamens usually 5; filaments attached to corolla, often alternating with scalelike appendages; anthers 2-locular, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary superior, 1- or 2- (several) locular, with 2 parietal placentae; ovules few or numerous. Styles 1 or 2, usually lobed or divided; stigma capitate. Fruit a loculicidal capsule, rarely also septicidal or opening irregularly. Seeds usually with a sculptured or pitted coat; endosperm enclosing a small embryo.[2] [more]

Lennoaceae

Lennoaceae is a of parasitic flowering plants of south-western North America and north-western South America. [more]

Tetrachondraceae

[more]

At least 3 species and subspecies belong to the Family Tetrachondraceae.

More info about the Family Tetrachondraceae may be found here.

References

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Bibliography

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Footnotes

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  1. Gelin Zhu, Harald Riedl & Rudolf V. Kamelin "Boraginaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 329. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  2. Ruizheng Fang & Constance Lincoln "Hydrophyllaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 328. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Sources

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Last Revised: November 19, 2008