[FTEA]
Cornaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1958
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees, shrubs or rarely perennial herbs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves simple, alternate or opposite, entire or serrate; stipules usually absent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite or dioecious, in racemes, panicles, umbels, clusters of Cymules or compact heads
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary; sepals 4–5 or absent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4–5 or rarely absent, imbricate or valvate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens 4–5, alternating with the petals
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary inferior, usually 2-celled but often 1–4 (–10)-celled; ovules pendulous, one per loculus
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a drupe or berry; embryo small in abundant endosperm
[NTK]
Every, J.L.R. (2010). Neotropical Cornaceae.
- Morphology
-
Description
Trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite or alternate , simple , margins entire or denticulate , primary venation pinnate , arching, trichomes T-shaped, branched or simple when present; stipules very rarely present. Inflorescences terminal occasionally axillary , cymose, involucres petal -like. Flowers bisexual (rarely unisexual and dioecious ), small, actinomorphic ; sepals 4(-10), connate , adnate to ovary ; petals 4(-10), free , valvate ; stamens alternipetalous and equal in number to petals, free , anthers dorsifixed, dehiscing via full-length longitudinal slits; ovary inferior, carpels 2, syncarpous. Fruit a grooved, globose or ovoid drupe . Seeds 2, flat.
- General Description
-
Notes on delimitation
- Cornus L. is placed in the Cornaceae which typifies the Cornales currently placed in the Asterid clade. (APG III, 2009).
- Cornus L.: Cornus disciflora DC., C. excelsa Kunth, C. florida L. and C. peruviana J. F. Macbr. growing in the Neotropics.
- Nyssa L.: with two species (N. sylvatica Marshall and N. talamancana Hammel & N.Zamora) in Mexico to Panama.
- Native.
- Distribution
-
Distribution in the Neotropics
- Found predominately at high elevations (1,400-3,000m above sea level) below the forest canopy in mountainous regions of Central America, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.
- Also cultivated in Brazil as an ornamental and for its wood throughout most of the Neotropical countries.
- Diagnostic
-
Distinguishing characters (always present)
- Actinodromousvenation.
- Involucres of petal -like bracts subtend the inflorescences.
- Sepals adnate to ovary.
- Petals valvate.
- Ovary inferior.
- Epigynous disk on top of ovary.
- Drupaceousfruit.
- A handy diagnostic trick in the field is to remove a suspected leaf, fold the leaf blade in half horizontally to form a crease, do this repeatedly until you are able to gently tear the leaf along the crease and gently pull it apart. The bottom half of the leaf will appear to hang in mid air, but on closer inspection you can see sticky threads stemming from the leaf veins.
- Some Viburnum species look similar to Cornaceae, but the latter often have 4-merous flowers, they lack stellateindumentum, and their lateralveins ascend towards the apex of the blade (Stevens, 2008 onwards).
- See distribution.
- Literature
-
Important literature
APG III. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. Vol 161: 3. Pp. 105-121.
Kubitzki, K. 2004. Cornaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, vol. VI, pp. 82-90. Springer Verlag, Berlin.
Lentz, D. L. 2004. Cornaceae. In: Smith, N., Mori, S. A., Henderson, A., Stevenson, D. W. and Heald, S. V. (eds). Flowering Plants of the Neotropics. Pp. 117-8. The New York Botanical Garden, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Smith, N. 2004. Nyssaceae: In: Smith, N., Mori, S. A., Henderson, A., Stevenson, D. W. and Heald, S. V. (eds). Flowering Plants of the Neotropics. Pp. 273-274. The New York Botanical Garden, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Stevens, P. F. 2008. Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9 onwards. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/.
Watson, L. and Dallwitz, M.J. (1992 onwards). The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version 3rd March 2009. www.delta-intkey.com.
[FZ]
Cornaceae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees, shrubs, rarely perennial herbs or woody lianes
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves opposite or less commonly alternate, simple, exstipulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual (then the plants usually monoecious or polygamodioecious), actinomorphic in cymes or panicles, umbels or rarely in capitula and then with large petal-like bracts
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, sepals 4–5
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4–5 (rarely lacking), aestivation imbricate or valvate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens the same number as the petals and alternating with them, anthers 2-celled dehiscing laterally or rarely introrsely
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary inferior, with (1)2–4 locules Style 1 or several rising from a glandular disk Placentation usually axile, with 1 anatropous pendulous ovule in each loculus Ovules with 1 integument
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit typically a drupe, sometimes a berry
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed with copious endosperm and a small embryo
[FZ]
Alangiaceae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, sometimes spiny (but not in FZ area)
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate, entire to very slightly undulate or lobed; distinctly petiolate, often somewhat asymmetric at the base, stipules 0
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite regular, in few-flowered (in FZ area) axillary cymes with articulated pedicels
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx truncate or with 4–10 teeth
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4–10, valvate, linear, becoming strongly recurved at maturity, sometimes slightly coherent at the base
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens the same number as and alternating with the petals, or up to 2–4 times as many; free or connate at the base, more or less villous adaxially; anthers 2-locular, linear
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Disk subglobose, flattened above
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary inferior, 1–2-locular, style simple, clavate or 1–3-lobed; ovules solitary, pendulous in the loculi, with 2 integuments
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit drupaceous, crowned with the remains of the disk and sepals, l(2)-seeded
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds with the embryo about equalling the endosperm
[FWTA]
Alangiaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, sometimes spiny
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, in axillary cymes; pedicels articulated
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx truncate or with 4–10 teeth
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4–10, mostly linear, valvate, at length recurved, sometimes coherent at the base
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens the same number as and alternate with the petals or 2–4 times as many, free or slightly connate at the base, more or less villous inside; anthers 2-celled, linear, opening lengthwise
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Disk cushion-like
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary inferior, 1–2-celled; style simple, clavate or lobed; ovule solitary, pendulous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a drupe crowned by the sepals and disk, 1-seeded
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds with the embryo about equal to the endosperm
[FTEA]
Alangiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1958
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, often spiny
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petiolate, entire or lobed, often asymmetric at the base
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite, regular, in few to many-flowered axillary cymes
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx truncate or divided into 4–10 lobes, or denticulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 4–10, linear, valvate, often joined at the extreme base
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens equal in number to the petals and alternating with them or up to four times as many, free or slightly joined at the base
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Style simple, clavate or 2–3-lobed Ovary inferior, 1–2-celled, ovules solitary and pendulous in the cells
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a drupe crowned with sepals and disc, 1–2-seeded; seeds albuminous
Cornaceae Bercht. & J.Presl appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Prir. Rostlin 2(23*): 91, 92. 1825 (1825)
Accepted by
- APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Neotropikey
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