Overview
Stangeriaceae is the smallest family of , both in number of living and fossil species. The family contains only two living genera, Stangeria and Bowenia, though the latter genus has been recommended for placement in a separate family by itself.
The family is recognized by having vascularized stipules, and by lacking cataphylls, or producing them irregularly. These unusual characters led to the original description of Stangeria as a fern, and it was only when seeds were later produced on the plant that its true affinities were realized.
Though today the family occurs only in South Africa and Queensland, Australia, fossils are known from Jurassic sediments in Argentina and the British Isles1]. Recent cladistic studies suggest that the fossil taxon Mesodescolea may also have affinities with the Stangeriaceae. This highly lobed fossil leaf from the Lower Cretaceous has only been found in Argentina.
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Taxonomy
The Family Stangeriaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (3): Ranunculoideae · Spiraeoideae · Yuccoideae
- Tribe (2): Ranunculeae · Spiraeeae
- Genus (3): Bowenia · Lomaria · Stangeria
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 9 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Family Stangeriaceae.
Genera
Bowenia
The genus Bowenia, includes two living and two species of cycads in the family Stangeriaceae, and is entirely restricted to Australia. The two living species occur in Queensland, where they grow in the warm, wet, tropical rainforests, on protected slopes and near streams, primarily in the lowlands. [more]
Lomaria
Lomaria is a genus of ferns belonging to the family . Lomaria spicant or Hard Fern is a common example of this genus. [more]
Stangeria
At least 4 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Stangeria.
More info about the Genus Stangeria may be found here.
References
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
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