Species
Rhamnaceae
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Trees, shrubs, suffrutices or lianes; branches sometimes with coiled tendrils (Gouania and Helinus). Stipules present, sometimes spiny. Leaves alternate (sometimes opposite or subopposite) or fasciculate, simple. Flowers bisexual or rarely unisexual, actinomorphic. Sepals (4-)5. Petals (4-)5 or 0. Disk usually present and well-developed. Ovary superior, subinferior or inferior, 2-4-locular. Fruit a drupe, capsule or schizocarp.
Foodplant / sap sucker
Gonocerus acuteangulatus sucks sap of Rhamnaceae
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Rights holder/Author | BioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK) |
Source | http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Rhamnaceae.htm |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:841
Specimens with Sequences:1168
Specimens with Barcodes:821
Species:343
Species With Barcodes:332
Public Records:433
Public Species:251
Public BINs:0
Rhamnaceae is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the Buckthorn Family.[3]
The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions. The earliest fossil evidence of Rhamnaceae is from the Eocene.
Leaves of Rhamnaceae family members are simple, i.e., the leaf blades are not divided into smaller leaflets.[3] Leaves can be either alternate and spiraling, or opposite. Stipules are present. These leaves are modified into spines in many genera, in some (e.g. Paliurus spina-christi and Colletia cruciata) spectacularly so. Colletia stands out by having two axillary buds instead of one, one developing into a thorn, the other one into a shoot.
The flowers are radially symmetrical. There are 5 (sometimes 4) separate sepals and 5 (sometimes 4 or none) separate petals. The petals may be white, yellowish, greenish, pink or blue, and are small and inconspicuous in most genera, though in some (e.g. Ceanothus) the dense clusters of flowers are conspicuous. The 5 or 4 stamens are opposite the petals.[3] The ovary is superior, with 2 or 3 ovules (or one by abortion).
The fruits are mostly berries, fleshy drupes or nuts. Some are adapted to wind carriage, but most are dispersed by mammals and birds. Chinese jujube is the fruit of the jujube tree (Ziziphus zizyphus) and is a major fruit in China.
The American genus Ceanothus, which has several showy ornamental species, has nitrogen-fixing root nodules.
Economic uses of Rhamnaceae are chiefly as ornamental plants and as the source of many brilliant green and yellow dyes. The wood of Rhamnus was also the most favoured species to make charcoal for use in gunpowder before the development of modern propellants.
Genera[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^ Walter S. Judd and Richard G. Olmstead (2004). "A survey of tricolpate (eudicot) phylogenetic relationships". American Journal of Botany 91 (10): 1627–1644. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.10.1627. PMID 21652313. (full text )
- ^ "Family: Rhamnaceae Juss., nom. cons.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-01-17. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ a b c Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale, 2nd Ed. 2000, p. 166
- ^ "Granitites". FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
- ^ "GRIN Genera of Rhamnaceae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhamnaceae&oldid=614359583 |