Overview
The Theaceae is a family of flowering plants, composed of shrubs and trees. Some botanists include the family Ternstroemiaceae within the Theaceae2] while others do not.[3] Theaceae can be described as having anywhere from 7-40 genera, depending on the source and the method of circumscription used.
Family characteristics
Plants in this family are characterized by simple leaves that are alternate spiral to distichial, serrated, and usually glossy. Most of the genera have evergreen foliage, but Stewartia and Franklinia are deciduous. The toothed margins are generally associated with a characteristic Theoid leaf tooth, which is crowned by a glandular, deciduous tip. [4]The f lowers in this family are usually pink or white and large and showy, often with a strong scent. [5] The calyx consists of five or more sepals, which are often persistent in the fruiting stage, and the corolla is five-merous, rarely numerous. Plants in Theaceae are multistaminate, usually with 20-100+ stamen either free or adnate to the base of the corolla, and are also distinctive because of the presence of pseudopollen. The pseudopollen is produced from connective cells, and has either rib-like or circular thickenings. The ovary is often hairy and narrows gradually into the style, which may be branched or cleft. The carpels are typically opposite from the petals, or the sepals in the case of Camellia. The fruits are loculicidal capsules, indehiscent baccate fruits or sometimes pomes. The seeds are few and sometimes winged, or in some generas covered by fleshy tissue or unwinged and nude. 3,4
Chemistry
There is distinctive chemistry within the Theaceae family. Sometimes, single crystals of calcium oxalate are present in Theaceous plants. Ellagic acid and common polyphenols including flavonols, flavones and proanthocyanins are widely distributed throughout the family. Gallic acid and catechins only occur in Camellia sect. Thea (C. sinensis, C. taliensis and C. irrawadiensis. Caffeine and its precursors theobromine and theophylline are only found in sect. Thea and are not found in other species of Camellia or other Theaceae. Caffeine content in the tea bush makes up 2.5-4% of the leave's dry weight, and this high content of catechins and caffeine in the tea bush is the result of selection by man for these characters. Triterpenes and their glycosides (saponins) are found widely throughout the family in the seeds, leaves, wood and bark. Plants in this family are also known to accumulate aluminum and fluoride.3< /sup>
Distribution
Eleven genera are found only in east Asia (Malesia north to Japan), with several genera in Central and South America. Three genera are found only in Africa, and two genera are only found in the Neotropics.4 Three genera (Franklinia, Gordonia and Stewartia) also have species native to the southeastern United States, with Franklinia being endemic there, and under recent interpretations, also Gordonia with the Asian species formerly included in that genus being transferred to Polyspora.[6] There are five genera with very restricted distributions. These include Apterosperma and Euryodendron found in Southern China, Archboldiodendron found in New Guinea, Dankia found in Vietnam, and Visnea in the Canary Islands and Madeira. 4
Ec onomic Importance
The best known genus is Camellia, which includes the plant whose leaves are used to produce tea (Camellia sinensis). In parts of Asia, other species are used as a beverage, including C. taliensis, C. gradnibractiata, C. kwangsiensis, C. gymnogyna, C. crassicolumna, C. tachangensis, C. ptilophyllaand, and C. irrawadiensis. [7] Several species grown widely as ornamentals for their flowers and handsome foliage.
External links
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) entry for Camelliaceae
- ^ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Vascular Plant Families and Genera: Theaceae
- ^ Watson, L., & Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants. Theaceae
- ^ Stevens, P.F. 2003. Clusiaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (Eds.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Springer, Hamburg, Germany
- ^ Luna I, Ochoterena H (2004) ?Phylogenetic relationships of the genera of Theaceae based on morphology.? Cladistics Vol. 20 223-270
- ^ Flora of China Theaceae (draft)
- ^ Chang, H.T., Bartholomew, R.C. 1984. Camellias. Timber Press, Portland, OR
Taxonomy
The Family Theaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (11): Hydrangeoideae · Iridoideae · Lamioideae · Larinae · Nepetoideae · Rhinanthoideae · Spiraeoideae · Ternstroemioideae · Theoideae · Thymelaeoideae · Trollioideae
- Tribe (6): Freziereae · Gordonieae · Lamieae · Pontederieae · Stewartieae · Theeae
- Genus (72): Adinandra · Adinandrella · Amphania · Annesleya · Antheischima · Apterosperma · Bembiciopsis · Callosmia · Calpandria · Camellia · Camelliastrum · Carria · Cavanilla · Cleyera · Closaschima · Dankia · Daydonia · Desmitus · Drupifera · Dubardella · Dupinia · Eroteum · Eurya · Eusynaxis · Franklinia · Freziera · Geeria · Glyptocarpa · Gordonia · Haemocharis · Hartia · Heptacarpus · Hoferia · Killipiodendron · Laplacea · Lettsomia · Llanosia · Malachodendron · Malacodendron · Melchiora · Mocanera · Mokof · Mokofua · Mountnorrisia · Nabiasodendron · Neotatea · Paranneslea · Parapyrenaria · Patascoya · Piquetia · Polyspora · Pseudoeurya · Pyrenaria · Sakakia · Salceda · Sarosanther · Sarosanthera · Sasanqua · Schima · Sinopyrenaria · Stereocarpus · Stewartia · Stuartia · Taonabo · Ternstroemiopsis · Ternstroemites · Theaphylla · Theopsis · Tristylium · Tutcheria · X Schimlinia · Yunnanea
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 3,055 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Family Theaceae.
Genera
Adinandra
Adinandra is a genus of plant in family Theaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]
Adinandrella
Amphania
Annesleya
Antheischima
Apterosperma
Apterosperma is a genus of plant in family Theaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]
Bembiciopsis
Callosmia
Calpandria
Camellia
Camellia (Chinese: 茶花; pinyin: CháhuÄ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, native to eastern and southern Asia from the Himalaya east to Japan and Indonesia. There are 100–250 existent species, with some controversy over the exact number. The genus was named by Linnaeus after Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel. [more]
Camelliastrum
Carria
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]
Cleyera
Shrubs or trees, evergreen. Leaves petiolate; leaf blade margin entire or serrulate. Flowers bisexual, axillary, solitary or several in a cluster. Pedicel 1 cm or more, apically thickened; bracteoles 2, caducous, small, inserted near pedicel apex. Sepals 5, imbricate, unequal, basally slightly connate; outer sepals persistent, small. Petals 5, imbricate, basally connate. Stamens 25-30; filaments distinct, glabrous; anthers basifixed, 2-loculed, longitudinally dehiscent, with filiform trichomes, connective apiculate. Ovary usually glabrous, 2- or 3-loculed with 8-16 ovules per locule, placentation axile; style 1, persistent, slender, elongated, apically 2- or 3-lobed. Fruit baccate, ovoid to oblate, with several seeds per locule. Seeds blackish brown, reniform-globose to compressed globose, foveolate, shiny, glabrous; endosperm sparse; embryo curved.[1] [more]
Closaschima
Dankia
Daydonia
Desmitus
Drupifera
Dubardella
Dupinia
Eroteum
Eurya
Eurya is a genus of plant in family Theaceae. [more]
Eusynaxis
Franklinia
Franklinia is a monotypic genus in the tea plant family, Theaceae. The sole species in this genus is a flowering tree, Franklinia alatamaha, commonly called the Franklin tree, and native to the Altamaha River valley in Georgia in the southeastern United States. It has been extinct in the wild since the early 19th century, but survives as a cultivated ornamental tree. [more]
Freziera
Freziera is a genus of in family Theaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]
Geeria
Glyptocarpa
Gordonia
Gordonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, related to Franklinia, Camellia and Stewartia. Of the roughly 40 species, all but two are native to southeast Asia in southern China, Taiwan and Indochina. The remaining species, G. lasianthus (Loblolly-bay), is native to southeast North America, from Virginia south to Florida and west to Louisiana; G. fruticosa is native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, from Costa Rica to Brazil. [more]
Haemocharis
Hartia
Heptacarpus
Hoferia
Killipiodendron
Laplacea
Lettsomia
Llanosia
Malachodendron
Malacodendron
Melchiora
Mocanera
Mokof
Mokofua
Mountnorrisia
Nabiasodendron
Neotatea
Neotatea is a genus in the family Clusiaceae. [more]
Paranneslea
Parapyrenaria
Patascoya
Piquetia
Polyspora
Shrubs or trees, evergreen. Leaves alternate but often clustered apically on branchlets, petiolate; leaf blade leathery, pinnately veined, margin entire or serrate. Flowers axillary, solitary or in a short raceme. Pedicel short; bracteoles 2-7, caducous. Sepals 5, caducous after anthesis. Petals 5(or 6), basally ± connate. Stamens numerous; outer filament whorl adnate to petals; anthers dorsifixed. Ovary placentation axile. Capsule oblong-cylindric or cylindric, 5(or 6-8) -loculed, loculicidal; columella persistent to apex of locules. Seeds flat, apically with an oblong membranous wing; endosperm thin.[2] [more]
Pseudoeurya
Pyrenaria
Pyrenaria is a genus of plant in family Theaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]
Sakakia
Salceda
Sarosanther
Sarosanthera
Sasanqua
The Christmas Camellia (Camellia sasanqua) (or Yuletide) is a species of Camellia native to the evergreen coastal forests of southern Japan in Shikoku, Kyushu and many other minor islands as far south as Okinawa. It is usually found growing up to an altitude of 900 metres. [more]
Schima
Schima is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the tea family, Theaceae. [more]
Sinopyrenaria
Stereocarpus
Stewartia
Stewartia (sometimes spelled Stuartia) is a genus of 8-20 species of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, related to Camellia. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia in China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with two (S. malacodendron, S. ovata) in southeast North America, from Virginia and Kentucky south to Florida and Louisiana. [more]
Stuartia
Stewartia (sometimes spelled Stuartia) is a genus of 8-20 species of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, related to Camellia. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia in China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with two (S. malacodendron, S. ovata) in southeast North America, from Virginia and Kentucky south to Florida and Louisiana. [more]
Taonabo
Ternstroemiopsis
Ternstroemites
Theaphylla
Theopsis
Tristylium
Tutcheria
X Schimlinia
Yunnanea
More info about the Genus Yunnanea may be found here.
Bibliography
- Chang Hungta & Ren Shanxiang. 1998. Theaceae (Theoideae). In: Chang Hungta, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 49(3): ii-xiii, 1-281
- Ling Laikuan. 1998. Theaceae (Ternstroemioideae). Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 50(1): ii-vi, 1-213.
Footnotes
- Tianlu Min & Bruce Bartholomew "Cleyera". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 430, 434, 443,478. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
- "Polyspora". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 366, 418. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
Sources
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