Lardizabalaceae R.Br.

Bishop, J. Neotropical Lardizabalaceae.

Morphology

Description

Habit evergreen ; twining woody vines; mesophytic. Leaves alternate ; compound ; bi- to triternate or trifoliate; stipulate or exstipulate ; margins entire ; elliptic or lanceolate to broadly ovate ; herbaceous or leathery; with or without hairs ( simple if present); petiolate ; petioles and petiolules swollen at both ends; venation pinnate or palmate . Inflorescences drooping racemose or cymose; bracts present or absent at base of inflorescence . Flowers dark purple or white; perianth actinomorphic ; petals & sepals six; petals free ; petals much smaller than sepals; unisexual; plants monoecious or diecious; stamens six, free or fused into a tube; staminodes present or absent; anthers 2-celled, extrorsely dehiscent by longitudinal slit; ovary superior ; carpels 3. Fruit a small berry ; elongate- oblong or subglobose. Seeds few to many; subreniform or ovate .

Distribution

Distribution in the Neotropics

Nine genera and about 35 species worldwide, mostly being found in temperate to subtropical Asia. Two monoytypic genera in the Neotropics, C & S. Chile and W. Argentina, often occurring in humid forests on riverbanks:

• Lardizabala Ruiz & Pav. - One species native to temperate forests of C. & S. Chile and Juan Fernandez Islands.
• Boquila Decne.- One species native to temperate forests of C. & S. Chile, and W. Argentina.

Diagnostic

Distinguishing characters (always present)

• Evergreenwoody vine.
• Compound leaves: Triternate or trifoliate.
• Drooping racemose or cymose inflorescences.
• Petioles and petiolules swollen at both ends.

Key differences from similar families

• Smilacaceae- Rhizomatous; tendrils present; inflorescences umbellate.
• Dioscoraceae- Leaves campylodromous; ovary inferior; fruit a dry capsule; seeds winged.

Useful tips for generic identification

• Boquila flowers are white, Lardizibala are dark purple.
• Boquila sepals membranous, fleshy in Lardizibala .
• Lardizabala fruit is many seeded, few to one seed in Boquila

General Description

Status

• Native.

General notes

Berries of Lardizibala biternata and Boquila trifoliolata are edible.

Notes on delimitation

• Under the APG III system (Stevens 2009, onwards), Lardizabalaceae has been placed within the order Ranunculales.

Literature

Important literature

Cheng-Yih, W., Kubitzki, K. 1993. Lardizabalaceae. In: Bittrich, V., Rohwer, J.G., Kubitzki, K, (eds.). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants Vol. 2: Flowering Plants Dicotyledons: Manoliid, Hamamelid and Caryophyllid Families, pp. 62-70. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Chilebosque. No date. Lardizabala biternata. Online at: http://www.chilebosque.cl/epiv/lardizabala_biternata.html (last accessed 02/12/2014)

Heywood, V.H. 2007. Lardizabalaceae. In: Heywood, V.H. (ed.). Flowering Plant Families of the World, pp. 181-182. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Te-chao, C. 2001. Lardizabalaceae. In: Tsun-shen, Y. (ed.). Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae Vol. 29, pp. 1-50. Ke xue chu ban she, Beijing.

A.P.G. [= The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group] III. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm< /A> Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society vol. 161, no. 2, pp. 105-121.

Watson, L., Dallwitz, M.J. 1992 onwards. The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval- Lardizabalaceae Decne. Online at: http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/lardizab.htm