Overview
Sterculiaceae is a botanical name for a group of flowering plants at the rank of family, which is now considered obsolete. As is true for any botanical name, the circumscription, status and placement of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view. The family name is based on the genus Sterculia.
As traditionally circumscribed the Sterculiaceae, Malvaceae, Bombacaceae, and Tiliaceae comprise the "core Malvales" of the Cronquist system and the close relationship among these families is generally recognized. Sterculiaceae may be separated from Malvaceae sensu stricto by the smooth surface of the pollen grains and the bilocular anthers.
Numerous phylogenetic studies have revealed that Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae and Bombacaceae as traditionally defined are cladistically polyphyletic and the current status of each of these families is in doubt. The APG and APG II systems unite Bombacaceae, Malvaceae sensu stricto, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae into a more widely circumscribed Malvaceae, i.e., Malvaceae sensu lato. In that view the taxa formerly classified in Sterculiaceae are treated in the subfamilies Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae of the Malvaceae sensu lato. The Thorne system takes an intermediate approach in combining the bulk of the traditional Sterculiaceae (but not including Sterculia itself) with elements of the traditional Tiliaceae to form the family .
Sterculiaceae had previously been recognized as a family by most systematists; in its traditional sense the family includes about 70 genera, totalling around 1,500 species of tropical trees and shrubs. The most famous products of the family are chocolate and cocoa from Theobroma cacao, followed by cola nuts. Many species yield timber.
As traditionally circumscribed the Sterculiaceae, Malvaceae, Bombacaceae, and Tiliaceae comprise the "core Malvales" of the Cronquist system and the close relationship among these families is generally recognized. Sterculiaceae may be separated from Malvaceae sensu stricto by the smooth surface of the pollen grains and the bilocular anthers.
Numerous phylogenetic studies have revealed that Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae and Bombacaceae as traditionally defined are cladistically polyphyletic and the current status of each of these families is in doubt. The APG and APG II systems unite Bombacaceae, Malvaceae sensu stricto, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae into a more widely circumscribed Malvaceae, i.e., Malvaceae sensu lato. In that view the taxa formerly classified in Sterculiaceae are treated in the subfamilies Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae of the Malvaceae sensu lato. The Thorne system takes an intermediate approach in combining the bulk of the traditional Sterculiaceae (but not including Sterculia itself) with elements of the traditional Tiliaceae to form the family .
Sterculiaceae had previously been recognized as a family by most systematists; in its traditional sense the family includes about 70 genera, totalling around 1,500 species of tropical trees and shrubs. The most famous products of the family are chocolate and cocoa from Theobroma cacao, followed by cola nuts. Many species yield timber.
References
- Whitlock, B. A., C. Bayer, and D. A. Baum. 2001. Phylogenetic Relationships and Floral Evolution of the Byttnerioideae ("Sterculiaceae" or Malvaceae s.l.) Based on Sequences o f the Chloroplast Gene, ndhF. Systematic Botany 26: 420?437 (abstract online here).
- Wilkie, P., Clark, A., Pennington, R. T., Cheek, M., Bayer, C. & Wilcock, C. C. (2006).Phylogenetic Relationships within the Subfamily Sterculioideae (Malvaceae/Sterculiaceae-Sterculieae) Using the Chloroplast Gene ndhF. Systematic Botany 31(1):160-170.
- Sterculiaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards) The families of flowering plants: descriptions.
- Malvaceae/Sterculiaceae - Sterculieae at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Taxonomy
The Family Sterculiaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (6): Byttnerioideae · Commelinoideae · Culicinae · Dombeyoideae · Helicteroideae · Sterculioideae
- Tribe (8): Byttnerieae · Dombeyeae · Helictereae · Sterculieae · Tarrietieae · Theobromateae · Tradescantieae · Triplochitoneae
- Genus (150): Achantia · Achilleopsis · Actinostigma · Aethiocarpa · Aleurodendron · Altheria · Ambroma · Anamorpha · Anisora · Antiphyla · Argyrodendron · Assonia · Asterochiton · Astrapaea · Astrodendrum · Astropus · Aubentonia · Balanghas · Balanopteris · Basiloxylon · Bichea · Binnendijkia · Blattaria · Braxipis · Brotera · Brotobroma · Bubroma · Buettneria · Byttneria · Cacao · Camaion · Cardiostegia · Cattimarus · Cavallium · Cavanilla · Chaetaea · Cheirostemon · Chichaea · Chiranthofremontia · Chlamydocola · Cistanthera · Clompanus · Colaria · Corethrostylis · Courtenia · Covilhamia · Culhamia · Cybiostigma · Dayena · Delabechea · Deltonea · Dendroleandria · Ditomostrophe · Diuroglossum · Dombeya · Dombeyoxylon · Edwardia · Eribroma · Eriorhaphe · Firmiana · Florissantia · Fometica · Franciscodendron · Fremontia · Gilesia · Glossospermum · Gourmania · Gourmannia · Gumsia · Heritiera · Herrania · Heterophyllum · Hildegardia · Hilsenbergia · Hymenocapsa · Hypophyllanthus · Icosinia · Ingonia · Isora · Ivira · Jackia · Karaka · Kavalama · Leeuwenhoeckia · Leucothamnus · Lexarza · Lochemia · Lophanthus · Lorentzia · Lunanea · Mahernia · Mansonia · Mateatia · Megatritheca · Methorium · Microchlaena · Moluchia · Myrodia · Neohumbertiella · Nephropetalum · Nisoralis · Octolobus · Oleobachia · Orsopea · Oudemansia · Ozoxeta · Paragrewia · Penosphyllum · Pentaceros · Physocodon · Physodium · Pimia · Poecilodermis · Polychlaena · Pterospermadendron · Pterospermites · Pterospermopsis · Pterospermum · Pterygota · Rayleya · Reevesia · Restiaria · Rhynchostemon · Riddelia · Riddellia · Riedlea · Riedleja · Samba · Sarotes · Sczegleewia · Sideria · Siphoniopsis · Sitella · Southwellia · Speirostyla · Sprengelia · Tetradia · Tribroma · Trichosiphon · Trichosiphum · Triphaca · Triplochiton · Trochetiopsis · Veeresia · Velaga · Vialia · Visenia · Walcuffa · X Chiranthofremontia · Xylosterculia
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 911 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Family Sterculiaceae.
Genera
Achantia
Achilleopsis
Actinostigma
Aethiocarpa
Aleurodendron
Altheria
Ambroma
Trees or shrubs. Leaves cordate or ovate-elliptic, entire or serrate, sometimes palmately lobed. Inflorescence leaf-opposed or terminal, several-flowered. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 5, divided to near base. Petals 5, red-purple, abruptly narrowed below middle, lower part deeply concave, glandular, basally connate with staminodes, upper part narrower, spatulate. Stamens 15; filaments connate into tube enclosing pistil; anthers in 5 groups of 3 on outer part of filament tube alternating with staminodes; staminodes 5, apex obtuse, margin ciliate. Ovary sessile, 5-grooved, 5-celled; ovules many per cell; style 5-lobed. Capsule membranous, 5-angular or longitudinally 5-winged, apex truncate, dehiscence loculicidal, apical. Seeds many, with endosperm; cotyledons flat, cordate.[1] [more]
Anamorpha
Anisora
Antiphyla
Argyrodendron
Argyrodendron is a genus of mainly trees in the mallow family Malvaceae. They occur in Malesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and Australia. In Australia, they are a well-known rainforest species known by their Indigenous Australian name, booyong or the tulip oak. [more]
Assonia
Dombeya is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometimes, misleadingly, allude to the superficial similarity of flowering Dombeya to pears or hydrangeas (which are quite unrelated dicots). Therefore, the genus as a whole is often simply called dombeyas. The generic name commemorates Joseph Dombey (1742?1794), a French botanist and explorer in South America, involved in the notorious , embroiling scientists and governments of France, Spain, and England for more than two years. [more]
Asterochiton
Aleyrodidae is a large hemipteran family comprising the whiteflies. It contains the following species: [more]
Astrapaea
Dombeya is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometimes, misleadingly, allude to the superficial similarity of flowering Dombeya to pears or hydrangeas (which are quite unrelated dicots). Therefore, the genus as a whole is often simply called dombeyas. The generic name commemorates Joseph Dombey (1742?1794), a French botanist and explorer in South America, involved in the notorious , embroiling scientists and governments of France, Spain, and England for more than two years. [more]
Astrodendrum
Astropus
Aubentonia
Balanghas
Balanopteris
Basiloxylon
Bichea
Binnendijkia
Blattaria
Braxipis
Brotera
Brotobroma
Bubroma
Buettneria
Byttneria
Byttneria is a genus of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae (or Sterculiaceae if these are considered valid). Several species have become rare through deforestation, some (e.g. B. minytricha are threatened with extinction, and B. ivorensis from Côte d'Ivoire may already have disappeared entirely, having only been found once, in 1896. [more]
Cacao
Cacao ( cacao) (Mayan: kakaw, Nahuatl: Cacahuatl), or the cocoa plant, is a small (4–8 m or 15–26 ft tall) evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae (alternatively Malvaceae), native to the deep tropical region of the Americas. Its seeds are used to make cocoa and chocolate. There are two prominent competing hypotheses about the origins of the original wild Theobroma cacao tree. One is that wild examples were originally distributed from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon basin, with domestication taking place both in the Lacandon area of Mexico and in lowland South America. But recent studies of Theobroma cacao genetics seem to show that the plant originated in the Amazon and was distributed by humans throughout Central America and Mesoamerica. [more]
Camaion
Cardiostegia
Cattimarus
Cavallium
Cavanilla
False crotons ( Caperonia) are a group of plants of the family Euphorbiaceae. There are 60 species found in tropical America and tropical Africa. [more]
Chaetaea
Cheirostemon
Chichaea
Chiranthofremontia
Chlamydocola
Cistanthera
Clompanus
Colaria
Corethrostylis
Courtenia
Covilhamia
Culhamia
Cybiostigma
Dayena
Delabechea
Deltonea
Dendroleandria
Ditomostrophe
Diuroglossum
Dombeya
Dombeya is a genus of approximately 200 species of flowering plant in the Sterculiaceae family. [more]
Dombeyoxylon
Edwardia
Eribroma
Eribroma is a genus of in the Sterculiaceae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Eriorhaphe
Firmiana
Firmiana is a genus of flowering plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It contains 12 or more the following species, including: [more]
Florissantia
Fometica
Franciscodendron
Fremontia
The flannelbush or flannel bush (Fremontodendron, syn. Fremontia) is a of two species of shrubs from the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. They are treated within the Sterculiaceae by the most of the authors, in the tribe Fremontodendreae together with the genus Chiranthodendron, but also included in the family Malvaceae (fide APG). [more]
Gilesia
Glossospermum
Gourmania
Gourmannia
Gumsia
Heritiera
Heritiera is a genus of flowering plant in the Malvaceae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Herrania
Herrania is a genus of in the Sterculiaceae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Heterophyllum
Hildegardia
Hildegardia is a genus of in the Sterculiaceae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Hilsenbergia
Hymenocapsa
Hypophyllanthus
Icosinia
Ingonia
Isora
A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]
Ivira
Jackia
Karaka
A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]
Kavalama
Leeuwenhoeckia
Leucothamnus
Lexarza
Lochemia
Lophanthus
Herbs perennial. Stem leaves short petiolate to sessile, dentate or incised-toothed. Cymes axillary; bracts small, linear-lanceolate to linear, rarely lanceolate. Calyx tubular to tubular-campanulate, straight or ± incurved, apex regular or oblique; teeth 5, subequal, ± 2-lipped [or not], (12-) 15-veined, pilose annulate inside. Corolla straight or incurved; tube exserted, gradually dilated upward, twisted; limb 2-lipped, twisted at 90-180° so that position of lips is ± reversed; upper lip (true lower) 3-lobed, middle lobe largest; lower lip (true upper) 2-lobed. Stamens 4, exserted or included; anther cells parallel or almost not divergent. Style exserted, rarely included, apex equally or subequally 2-cleft. Nutlets brown, oblong-ovoid, slightly flattened, smooth.[2] [more]
Lorentzia
Lunanea
Mahernia
Mansonia
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[3] [more]
Mateatia
Megatritheca
Methorium
Microchlaena
Moluchia
Myrodia
Neohumbertiella
Nephropetalum
Nisoralis
Octolobus
Oleobachia
Orsopea
Oudemansia
Ozoxeta
Paragrewia
Penosphyllum
Pentaceros
Physocodon
Physodium
Pimia
Poecilodermis
Polychlaena
Pterospermadendron
Pterospermites
Pterospermopsis
Pterospermum
Pterospermum is a genus of tropical trees and shrubs belonging to the family Sterculiaceae. Some species are grown ornamentally while others are valued for their timber. [more]
Pterygota
Trees. Leaves cordate, usually entire, but lobed when very young. Inflorescence axillary, racemose or paniculate. Flowers unisexual. Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed to base, lobes reflexed at apex. Petals absent. Male flowers: androgynophore cylindrical, enclosed by calyx, apex cup-shaped. Filaments clustered into 5 groups, staminodes usually present; anthers sessile. Female flowers: androgynophore very short, with 5 undeveloped staminodes. Carpels almost free; ovules many per carpel; stigma swollen, radiate. Follicle woody, subglobose, with long stipe and many seeds. Seeds with long and wide apical wing.[4] [more]
Rayleya
Reevesia
Reevesia is a genus of flowering plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It contains around 25 species, including: [more]
Restiaria
Rhynchostemon
Riddelia
Riddellia
Riedlea
Riedleja
Samba
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Sarotes
Sczegleewia
Sideria
Melhania is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. [more]
Siphoniopsis
Sitella
The sittellas are a family, Neosittidae, of small passerine birds found only in Australasia. They resemble nuthatches, but whilst they were considered to be in that family for many years they are now afforded their own family. They do not migrate other than for local movements. [more]
Southwellia
Speirostyla
Sprengelia
Tetradia
Tribroma
Trichosiphon
Trichosiphum
Triphaca
Triplochiton
Trochetiopsis
The flowering plant genus Trochetiopsis consists of two extant and one extinct species endemic to the island of Saint Helena (South Atlantic Ocean). They were formerly placed in the family Sterculiaceae, but this is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. [more]
Veeresia
Velaga
Pterospermum is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. Pterospermum is based on two Greek words, "Pteron" and "Sperma," meaning "winged seed." [more]
Vialia
Melhania is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. [more]
Visenia
Walcuffa
Dombeya is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometimes, misleadingly, allude to the superficial similarity of flowering Dombeya to pears or hydrangeas (which are quite unrelated dicots). Therefore, the genus as a whole is often simply called dombeyas. The generic name commemorates Joseph Dombey (1742?1794), a French botanist and explorer in South America, involved in the notorious , embroiling scientists and governments of France, Spain, and England for more than two years. [more]
X Chiranthofremontia
Xylosterculia
More info about the Genus Xylosterculia may be found here.
References
- Whitlock, B. A., C. Bayer, and D. A. Baum. 2001. Phylogenetic Relationships and Floral Evolution of the Byttnerioideae ("Sterculiaceae" or Malvaceae s.l.) Based on Sequences of the Chloroplast Gene, ndhF. Systematic Botany 26: 420?437 (abstract online here).
- Wilkie, P., Clark, A., Pennington, R. T., Cheek, M., Bayer, C. & Wilcock, C. C. (2006).Phylogenetic Relationships within the Subfamily Sterculioideae (Malvaceae/Sterculiaceae-Sterculieae) Using the Chloroplast Gene ndhF. Systematic Botany 31(1):160-170.
- Sterculiaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards) The families of flowering plants: descriptions.
- Malvaceae/Ste rculiaceae - Sterculieae at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Bibliography
- Hsue Hsiang-hao. 1984. Sterculiaceae. In: Feng Kuo-mei, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 49(2): 112-189.
Footnotes
- "Ambroma". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 303, 322. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
- "Lophanthus". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 106. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Mansonia&search=Search
- "Pterygota". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 302, 303. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
Sources
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