Interesting Facts
Description
Family Annonaceae
Trees
, shrubs
, rarely woody vines
, deciduous or evergreen
, with aromatic
bark
, leaves, and flowers. Pith
septate
to diaphragmed
. Leaves alternate, simple
, without stipules, petiolate
. Leaf blade
pinnately veined, unlobed, margins
entire. Inflorescences axillary
to leaf scars
on old wood
or to leaves on new shoots
, solitary flowers or few-flowered fascicles, pedunculate
; bracts or bracteoles present or absent. Flowers bisexual
, rarely unisexual
; receptacle becoming enlarged, elevated
or flat; perianth hypogynous, segments valvate
or imbricate; sepals persistent
, (2-) 3(-4), distinct
or basally connate
; petals either 6 in 2 unequal whorls of 3 with petals of outer whorl larger, petals of inner whorl fleshier than the outer, often with corrugate nectary
zone, or petals 6-12(-15), nearly equal or unequal, veins impressed
on inner face
; stamens 10-20 or very numerous
, hypogynous, spirally arranged
, forming ball
or flat-topped mass; filament
short, stout; anther
linear
to oblong-linear, extrorse
, longitudinally dehiscent
; connective
apically elongate
, connivent; pistils 1-many, superior, 1-carpellate, 1-locular, distinct or connate to various degrees
with at least stigmas distinct; placentation marginal
, placenta 1; ovules 1-many per pistil; style short, thick; stigma terminal
. Fruits berries
, distinct, 1-8(-12) per flower, or coalescent
, forming syncarps, 1 per flower. Seeds 1-many per pistil, arillate
; endosperm ruminate
, oily.
Genera ca.
128, species ca. 2300 (3 genera, 12 sp: mostly circumtropical
.
The family
has particular importance in the tropics because of the edible syncarps of some species of Annona ; in the eastern United
States the fruit of Asimina triloba (pawpaw) was once much gathered and appreciated. Programs in breeding from selected stock of Asimina have been undertaken (G. A. Zimmerman 1941).
Currently, the Pawpaw Foundation is intensively researching means to develop commercially marketable fruits. Recent studies of the chemical properties of Asimina reveal its pesticidal possibilities, and its potential as an anticancer agent (E. M.
Norman, pers. comm.
) The warm-climate genera Cananga, Rollinia, and Artabotrys have been used as ornamentals
.[1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Subclass:
Magnoliidae
()
- Novák ex Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Magnolianae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Magnoliales
()
- Bromhead, 1838
- Family:
Annonaceae
()
- Adans., 1763, nom. cons.
- Custard-apple family
- Subfamily:
Annonoideae
()
- Subfamily:
Annonoideae
(
- Family:
Annonaceae
(
- Order:
Magnoliales
(
- Superorder:
Magnolianae
(
- Subclass:
Magnoliidae
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Mezzettiopsis torulosa (Hutch.) Goel
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 1988
Similar Species
Members of the genus Orophea
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 0 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
More Info
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Further Reading
- 1997 IUCN red list of threatened plants Cambridge: IUCN, World Conservation Union, 1998 url p. 52.
- The World List of Threatened Trees WCMC, IUCN url p. 621.
- Fries, R. E. 1939. Revision der Arten einiger Annonaceen-Gattungen. Acta Horti Berg. 12(3): 289-577.
- Fries, R. E. 1931. Revision der Arten einiger Annonaceen-Gattungen. Acta Horti Berg. 10: 1-341.
- Fries, R. E. 1934. Revision der Arten einiger Annonaceen-Gattungen. Acta Horti Berg. 12(1): 1-220.
- Hutchinson, J. 1923. Contributions toward a phylogenetic classification of flowering plants. II. The genera of Annonaceae. Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew: 241-261.
- Kral, R. 1960. A revision of Asimina and Deeringothamnus (Annonaceae). Brittonia 12(4): 233-278.
- Rusby, H. H. 1935. The custard-apple family in Florida. J. New York Bot. Gard. 36: 233-239.
Notes
Contributors
- AnnonBase: World Species List of Annonaceae. Release date: October 12, 2006
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 17, 2012.
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
- World Species List of Annonaceae, 1.1, 2006.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8393582
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ano-60441
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14666415
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:74274-1
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 74274-1
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1186746
Footnotes
- Robert Kral "Annonaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
