Overview
The Bromeliales is the of an order of flowering plants. Such an order has been recognized by a few systems of plant taxonomy, with a various placement. It appears that it always has had the same circumscription: consisting only of the family Bromeliaceae, the bromeliad or pineapple family. The order is not recognized in the APG II system, of 2003, which places the plants involved in the order Poales.
It is best known from the Cronquist system, of 1981, which placed this order in subclass Zingiberidae, of class Liliopsida [=monocotyledons].
The Thorne system (1992) placed the order in superorder Commelinanae in subclass Liliidae [=monocotyledons].
The Dahlgren system placed the order in superorder Bromelianae in subclass Liliidae [=monocotyledons].
The Engler system, in its update of 1964, placed the order in class Monocotyledoneae.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Order Bromeliales is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (1): Bromeliaceae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 2,652 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Order Bromeliales.
Families
Bromeliaceae
Herbs or rarely shrubs, epiphytic, lithophytic, or terrestrial. Leaves spirally arranged, usually rosulate, sessile, simple, veins parallel, base dilated, sheathing, margin often spinose serrate or sometimes entire. Inflorescence terminal or lateral, scapose or sessile, a panicle, raceme, spike, or head, sometimes reduced to solitary, pseudolateral flowers; bracts usually brightly colored and conspicuous. Flowers bisexual or sometimes functionally unisexual, 3-merous. Sepals and petals each 3, distinct, free or basally connate; petals often brightly colored, basal margin with a pair of scalelike appendages. Stamens 6, in 2 whorls of 3; filaments free, connate, or collectively or individually adnate to petals; anthers 2-celled, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium of 3 carpels united to form a compound, 3-loculed, superior or very often partly or wholly inferior ovary; ovules few to usually ± numerous in each locule; placentation axile. Style terminal and often 3-parted; stigmas papillose. Fruit a berry or less often a septicidal capsule, or seldom compound and fleshy. Seeds usually winged or plumose; endosperm mealy; embryo small to fairly large.[1] [more]
At least 5,614 species and subspecies belong to the Family Bromeliaceae.
More info about the Family Bromeliaceae may be found here.
Bibliography
- Ma Weiliang. 1997. Bromeliaceae. In: Wu Kuo-fang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 13(3): 64--68.
Footnotes
- Wei-liang Ma & Bruce Bartholomew "Bromeliaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 18. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
Sources
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