Nyctaginaceae Juss.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs or trees; leaves opposite or sometimes partly alternate, simple, entire or nearly so; stipules lacking.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers regular, unisexual or perfect, usually in terminal or axillary cymes, the bracts minute or (in Mirabilis) forming a calyx-like involucre

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth

Perianth segments usually 5, fused to form a tube, the base of which persists on the ripe fruit. Stamens 2–10, typically 5, the filaments often unequal in length

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary superior, enclosed by the base of the perianth tube, 1-celled; style elongate, with capitate stigma

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit (called an anthocarp) consisting of an indehiscent utricle enclosed by the enlarged adhering base of the perianth; seed with large cotyledons enclosing the endosperm.

Distribution

A pantropical family most abundant in the Western Hemishpere, with about 25 genera and more than 250 species in all.

Nyctaginaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs or trees

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate or opposite, simple; stipules absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers actinomorphic, hermaphrodite or unisexual, usually cymose, sometimes surrounded by brightly coloured bracts, the latter occasionally simulating a calyx

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tubular, often petaloid, valvate or folded in the bud

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens 1 to many, hypogynous, free or connate at the base, involute in bud; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary superior, 1-celled; style slender; ovule solitary, erect and inverted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit indehiscent, enclosed in the persistent base of the calyx, often glandular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds with copious or scanty endosperm and straight or curved embryo

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs, trees or less often climbers (Bougainvillea Comm. ex Juss.)

Morphology Roots

Roots sometimes fleshy to tuberous

Morphology Stem

Stem frequently swollen at the nodes, sometimes armed with axillary thorns (Pisonia L.)

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent but trichomes when present, stipitate and viscid - glandular

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, subopposite, rarely whorled or alternate; blades simple and entire to sinuate, glabrous or pubescent, often drying black

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences terminal or axillary, variously branched but usually ultimate branches cymose, paniculate or sometimes capitate pseudanthia; bracts and bracteoles (1-3) present, sometimes very small and early caducous, calyx -like and subtending a single corolla -like calyx (Mirabilis L.) or corolloid and subtending a cluster of flowers (Bougainvillea)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers usually actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic, hermaphrodite or seldom unisexual (plants then monoecious or rarely dioecious); perianth uniseriate, usually 5- merous; calyx synsepalous, commonly corolloid, forming a well-developed, often slender, elongate, tubular or urceolate tube, the upper part mostly caducous after anthesis, lower part mostly persistent, enclosing mature fruit ; lobes (3) 5 (8) herbaceous, carnose or petaloid, induplicate- valvate in bud; corolla absent; stamens as many as calyx lobes, stamens 1-10 (-40), often connate at the base to form short tube, sometimes exserted (Guapira Aubl.), filaments mostly unequal in length; anthers tetrasporangiate, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; intrastaminal annular disc often present around ovary; ovary monocarpellate, unilocular, superior, sometimes stipitate; style long, slender,  stigma capitate, penicillate or frimbiate; placentation basal ,  ovule 1 per carpel, basal, stipitate, hemianatropous to anacampylotropous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit an achene or thin-walled nutlet, mostly enveloped by  persistent variously modified perianth base, forming a so-called anthocarp, or rarely fruit free; anthocarp indehiscent, maturing fleshy, coriaceous or woody, sometimes (Pisonia) provided with one or more vertical series of stipitate glands

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1 per fruit; exarillate, embryo straight or curved; endosperm absent; perisperm abundant or scanty, mealy, rarely gelatinous .

Diagnostic

Boerhavia - anthocarp 3-5 ribbed, glabrous or glandularpubescent. Bougainvillea - involucre of 3 strikingly coloured bracts (seldom greenish). Commicarpus - anthocarp with several conspicuous wart-like viscidglands. Guapira - stamens and stigmaexserted; anthocarp smooth. Mirabilis - involucral bracts mostly united; anthocarp 5-10 ribbed. Neea - male flowers with 5-10 included stamens; female flowers usually much smaller than male flowers, with rudimentary stamens. Pisonia - anthocarp coriaceous or woody, smooth or ribbed, with or without prickles, sterileapex of the fruit often elongated (rostrum). See below. Distinguishing characters (always present): Sepals united to form a tube. Inflorescences often subtended by conspicuous involucre or flowers sometimes subtended by sepal -like bracts. Corolla absent. Fruits often surrounded by accrescentperianth tube, with a single seed (anthocarps). Key differences from similar families: Nyctaginaceae and Phytolaccaceae both share a lack petals and have uniovulate locules, but Nyctaginaceae are distinguished by their: Exstipulate, usually opposite leaves. Sepals united to form a tube often resembling a tubular corolla (this sometimes subtended by sepal -like bracteoles). A solitary carpel. Mostly cymose or capitate (vs. racemose or spicate or less often paniculate or cymose) inflorescence often subtended by a conspicuous involucre. Ovarysuperior. Perianth covered with hairs. Anthocarps with various numbers of ribs.

Distribution

Most of the genera are endemic and native to the Neotropics; only Boerhavia, Commicarpus, Phaeoptilum, Pisonia and one species of Mirabilis also occur in the Old World. The Nyctaginaceae are distributed mostly in the tropics and subtropics of the New World and comprise approximately 32 genera and 400 species. Of the 23 genera only Boerhavia L., Commicarpus Standl., Phaeoptilum Radlk., Pisonia and one species of Mirabilis also occur in the Old World.

Note

The Nyctaginaceae are important only as ornamentals, especially some species of Bougainvillea and Mirabilis (four-o'clocks). Boerhaviatuberosa Lam. has been consumed as a vegetable in parts of Peru. Notes on delimitation: The Nyctaginaceae are placed in the Caryophyllales by all the modern authors. The family is one of the families the Caryophyllideae and as currently circumscribed is closely allied with Phytolaccaceae, especially Petiveria L. which is sometimes segregated as a distinct family, the Petiveriaceae.  Nyctaginaceae and Phytolaccaceae are generally considered to be primitive members of Caryophyllales (sensu Cronquist) and both have been linked to Sarcobatus Nees of the Chenopodiaceae by molecular studies. Number of genera: In the Neotropics there are 23 genera and approximately 180 species. Allionia L. (2 species) Andradea Allemão (1 species) Belemia Pires (1 species) Boerhavia L. (20 species) Boldoa Cav. (1 species) Bougainvillea (18 species) Caribea Alain (1 species) Cephalotomandra Karst. & Triana (3 species) Colignonia Endl. (6 species) Commicarpus (25 species) Cryptocarpus Kunth (1 species) Cuscatlania Standl. (1 species) Grajalesia Miranda (1 species) Guapira (70 species) Leucaster Choisy (1 species) Mirabilis (54 species) Neea Ruiz & Pav. (83 species) Neeopsis Lundell (1 species) Pisonia (40 species) Pisoniella (Heimerl) Standl. (1 species) Ramisia Glaz. ex Baill. (1 species) Reichenbachia Spreng. (2 species) Salpianthus Humb. & Bonpl. (1 species)

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution

Nyctaginaceae is a family of 30 genera and c. 400 species with pantropical distribution and reaching into warm temperate regions. There are two native genera in New Guinea, Ceodes J.R.Forst. & G.Forst and Pisonia Plum. ex L. both have arborescent species, with the other three introduced from the Neotropics, including the popular ornamental climber Bougainvillea Comm. ex Juss.

Recognition

Members of the family can be recognised by the soft wood and bark, the flowers with a perianth (i.e., lacking distinct sepals and petals) which is persistent and surrounds the fruit forming an anthocarp. The fruits are often sticky, and members of the family are sometimes known as the ‘bird-catcher trees’ because of the sticky fruits used to catch birds; Stemmerik (1964) reports that birds are known to have fallen victim when they got too many fruits on their feathers.

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs, trees, or sometimes spiny vines; wood and bark soft and spongy

Morphology General

Sap usually not recorded but inflorescence and fruiting parts often sticky

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, alternate, or ± whorled; petiole usually present, well defined; leaf blade simple, herbaceous or slightly fleshy, margins entire

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences mostly terminal, also axillary, cauliflorous or ramiflorous cymes, umbels or verticils; bracts often inconspicuous, sometimes forming calyx-like involucre, or large and brightly colored

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual (plants dioecious) or polygamous, actinomorphic; perianth constricted beyond the ovary, base persistent, closely enclosing ovary which appears inferior, limb petaloid beyond constriction, tubular, funnelform, or campanulate, usually 5-lobed; stamens few to many, anthers 2-loculed, longitudinally dehiscent; disk absent; ovary superior, 1-loculed, ovule 1; style 1, stigma globose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit comprised of the basal persistent part of the perianth enveloping the fruit (entire structure termed an anthocarp), indehiscent, smooth, ribbed or winged, sometimes with lengthwise rows of glands along the ribs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 1, endosperm present.