Download Loranthaceae

The Families of Flowering Plants
L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz
Loranthaceae Juss.
Including Dendrophthoaceae Van Tiegh., Dendrophthoraceae Dostál, Elytranthaceae
Van Tiegh., Gaiadendraceae Van Tiegh., Lepidariaceae Van Tiegh., Nuytsiaceae Van
Tiegh., Porosectaceae Dulac, Psittacanthaceae Nak., Treubaniaceae Van Tiegh.,
Treubellaceae Van Tiegh.Excluding Eremolepidaceae
Habit and leaf form. Shrubs (mostly, or ‘shrublets’), or trees (well grown specimens of
Nuytsia), or lianas (a few). ‘Normal’ plants, or switch-plants (occasionally); switch forms
with the principal photosynthesizing function transferred to stems. Leaves well
developed, or much reduced (rarely). Plants rootless (in the normal sense), or with roots
(but with haustoria rather than root-hairs, e.g. Nuytsia?); more or less succulent (in
Nuytsia), or non-succulent; partially parasitic (with haustoria which often induce galllike growth of hosts). Parasitic on aerial parts of the host (mostly), or roots of the host (a
few, with Nuytsia said to parasitize the roots of grasses). Stem growth conspicuously
sympodial. Mesophytic, or xerophytic. Leaves evergreen; usually opposite; leathery
(usually), or fleshy, or membranous (rarely); edgewise to the stem, or with ‘normal’
orientation; simple. Lamina entire; one-veined, or pinnately veined, or parallel-veined.
Leaves exstipulate. Lamina margins entire. Leaves without a persistent basal meristem.
Leaf anatomy. Lamina dorsiventral, or isobilateral.
Stem anatomy. Cork cambium present; initially superficial. Nodes unilacunar. Internal
phloem absent. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring, or
anomalous; when anomalous, via concentric cambia (Nuytsia). ‘Included’ phloem absent.
Xylem with fibre tracheids, or without fibre tracheids; with libriform fibres, or without
libriform fibres; with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple. Wood partially storied (VPI);
parenchyma apotracheal, or apotracheal and paratracheal (typically predominantly
apotracheal).
Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite (nearly always), or monoecious
(Nuytsia, where the central flower of each triplet is female, the laterals male). Pollination
entomophilous, or ornithophilous.
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in
‘inflorescences’; in cymes, in racemes, in spikes, in fascicles, and in umbels. The ultimate
inflorescence unit cymose (the flowers often in threes). Inflorescences dichasial, the
dichasia sometimes resembling racemes, spikes, umbels etc.. Flowers bracteolate
(the two bracteoles adnate to form a ‘calyculus’ external to the calyx); regular to
somewhat irregular. The floral irregularity involving the perianth. Flowers cyclic;
tetracyclic. Floral receptacle markedly hollowed. Free hypanthium absent.
Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla, or petaline (the calyx much reduced, often
to a mere rim), or absent (sometimes, in Amyema?); 3–9; 2 whorled, or 1 whorled
(with the calyx obsolete). Calyx 1 whorled; gamosepalous (reduced to a lobed or toothed
cup or rim); entire, or lobulate, or blunt-lobed, or toothed; regular; persistent; open in
bud. Corolla (3–)5–6(–9); 1 whorled; polypetalous, or gamopetalous; valvate; often
tubular (the tube often bent and split down one side); unequal but not bilabiate, or
bilabiate, or regular; often yellow, or orange, or red.
Androecium (3–)5–6(–9) (as many as C). Androecial members adnate (to the corolla);
free of one another; 1 whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens (3–
)5–6(–9); isomerous with the perianth; alternisepalous; opposite the corolla members.
Anthers dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; bisporangiate, or tetrasporangiate.
Endothecium developing fibrous thickenings (usually), or not developing fibrous
thickenings (Lepeostegeres). Anther epidermis degenerating. Microsporogenesis
simultaneous. The initial microspore tetrads tetrahedral, or decussate. Anther wall
initially with one middle layer, or initially with more than one middle layer; of the
‘monocot’ type. Pollen grains aperturate (usually), or nonaperturate (Atkinsonia); 3(–4)
aperturate; colpate; 2-celled.
Gynoecium 3 carpelled, or 4 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous;
synstylovarious, or eu-syncarpous; inferior. Ovary 1 locular. Placentation basal. Ovules
not differentiated; in the single cavity 4–12; sessile; non-arillate; not clearly
differentiated from the placenta; without integuments; without obvious nucellus. Embryosac development Polygonum-type. Polar nuclei fusing prior to fertilization. Antipodal
cells formed; 3; not proliferating. Synergids hooked (with filiform apparatus). Endosperm
formation cellular. Embryogeny piperad.
Fruit fleshy (usually), or non-fleshy (rarely, e.g. Nuytsia); indehiscent; usually a berry, or
a drupe (the fleshy part being receptacular), or a nut (Nuytsia). Seeds copiously
endospermic. Endosperm oily. Seeds covered with viscous material; without a testa.
Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons 2, or 1 (often becoming fused). Embryo
chlorophyllous (2/2). Polyembryony recorded.
Seedling. Germination phanerocotylar, or cryptocotylar.
Physiology, biochemistry. Not cyanogenic. Alkaloids present, or absent. Iridoids not
detected. Proanthocyanidins present; cyanidin. Flavonols present; kaempferol and
quercetin. Ellagic acid present (Nuytsia). Saponins/sapogenins absent. Aluminium
accumulation not found.
Geography, cytology. Temperate to tropical. Pantropical and warm (especially South)
temperate. X = 8–12.
Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgren’s Superorder Santaliflorae;
Santalales. Cronquist’s Subclass Rosidae; Santalales. APG 3 core angiosperms; core
eudicot; Superorder Santalanae; Order Santalales.
Species 940. Genera about 70; Actinanthella, Aetanthus, Agelanthus, Alepis, Amyema,
Amylotheca, Atkinsonia, Bakerella, Baratranthus, Benthamina, Berhautia, Cecarria,
Cladocolea, Cyne, Dactyliophora, Decaisnina, Dendropemon, Dendropthoe, Desmaria,
Diplatia, Distrianthes, Elytranthe, Emelianthe, Englerina, Erianthemum, Gaiadendron,
Globimetula, Helicanthes, Helixanthera, Ileostylus, Ixocactus, Kingella, Lampas,
Lepeostegeres, Lepidaria, Ligaria, Loranthus, Loxanthera, Lysiana, Macrosolen,
Moquiniella, Muellerina, Notanthera, Nuytsia, Oliverella, Oncella, Oncocalyx,
Oryctanthus, Oryctina, Panamanthus, Papuanthes, Pedistylis, Peraxilla, Phragmanthera,
Phthirusa, Plicosepalus, Psittacanthus, Scurrula, Septulina, Socratina, Sogerianthe,
Spragueanella, Struthanthus, Tapinanthus, Taxillus, Tetradyas, Thaumasianthes,
Tolypanthus, Trilepidea, Tripodanthus, Tristerix, Trithecanthera, Tupeia, Vanwykia.
Illustrations. • Technical details: Loranthus. • Technical details: Loranthus (Thonner).
• Technical details: Loranthus, Struthanthus (Lindley). • Nuytsia floribunda: flowering
branch (photo). • Nuytsia foribunda: habit (photo).
This description is offered for casual browsing only. We strongly advise against
extracting comparative information from it. This is much more easily achieved using the
interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial
descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of
taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa,
geographical distribution, genera included in each family, classifications (Dahlgren;
Dahlgren, Clifford, and Yeo; Cronquist; APG), and notes on the APG classification.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 1992 onwards. The families of
flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval.
Version: 20th May 2010. http://delta-intkey.com’.
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