[NTK]
Hopkins, H.C.F. (2009). Neotropical Cunoniaceae.
- Morphology
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Description
Trees or shrubs, or rarely hemi-epiphytes. Indumentum of simple hairs. Leaves opposite and decussate , simple or compound ( imparipinnate , trifoliolate or palmately compound ); blade margins toothed, crenate or rarely entire ; in compound leaves, petiole and/or rachis winged or not; venation semi- craspedodromous (or craspedodromous in Caldcluvia, extra-tropical). Stipules interpetiolar (2 per node ) or free - lateral (4 per node ). Inflorescences racemose or paniculate/thyrsoid (or flowers solitary, Eucryphia, extra-tropical). Flowers hermaphrodite ; perianth of 1 or 2 whorls, polysymmetric; sepals 4-6 (-7), valvate or imbricate in bud ; petals absent or 4 (-5 in Caldcluvia), alternating with sepals, free , small, thin (or large and showy, Eucryphia); disc annular, or lobed , or adnate to ovary and inconspicuous; stamens twice as many as sepals or 8; filaments slender, anthers subrotund, longitudinally dehiscent down 2 sutures; gynoecium superior ; carpels 2 (-12, Eucryphia), syncarpous at level of ovary ; stylodia as many as carpels, free ; ovules 8, in 2 rows on axile placentas. Fruits dehiscent , dry; seeds small, winged or hairy.
- Distribution
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Distribution in the Neotropics
Worldwide the family comprises some 27 genera and 300-350 species. Two genera occur in the Neotropics (Lamanonia, Weinmannia) and together contain ~90 species in the Americas (i.e. including a few extra-tropical ones):
- Lamanonia (syn. Belangera): (endemic, 5 spp.) Central, E and S Brazil, Paraguay, N Argentina; forest.
- Weinmannia: (native, 85+ spp.) Andes (S Mexico to Chile and NW Argentina), Caribbean Islands, Venezuela, Guianas and E Brazil with the greatest concentration of species in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; mostly in forest, especially montane tropical forest and subtropical forest, extending into temperate forest in the south; absent from the lowlands of the Amazon basin.
Two further genera occur in temperate South America:
- Caldcluvia: (endemic, 1 spp.) central Chile (and Argentina?); forest.
- Eucryphia: (native, 2 spp.) Chile; forest.
- General Description
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Number of genera
- see above under Distribution.
- See above under Distribution.
- Cunoniaceae is a largely southern hemisphere family with its centre of generic diversity in the SW Pacific and E Australia. Few genera and a limited range of morphological characters are seen in the Neotropics.
- Weinmannia is the only widely distributed genus. Besides the Americas, it is also found in the Indian Ocean [Madagascar, Comores, Mauritius, Reunion], and in Malesia, the W and Central Pacific and New Zealand. All species in the Americas belong to sect. Weinmannia, which also contains 2 species from the Mascarene Islands (Bradford 1998, 2002).
- The remaining genera in Latin America have strong amphi-Pacific relationships. Lamanonia and Caldcluvia both have their closest relatives in the SW Pacific and E Australia, and the remaining species of Eucryphia occur in E Australia (including Tasmania).
- Species in several genera, including Weinmannia and Eucryphia, are sources of nectar for honey.
- Molecular studies have resolved questions of family delimitation, e.g. Eucryphia is now placed within Cunoniaceae (previously often segregated in its own family) (see Bradford & Barnes 2001).
- Although historically Cunoniaceae was considered close to Saxifragaceae, it belongs to Oxalidales (APG II), where among neotropical families it is close to Brunelliaceae, Connaraceae, Elaeocarpaceae and Oxalidaceae.
- Diagnostic
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Useful tips for generic identification
- Lamanonia : leaves palmately compound; stipules free-lateral; inflorescence of axillary racemes; calyx lobes (5-) 6 (-7); petals absent; stamens numerous (20-60); seeds winged.
- Weinmannia : leaves simple, trifoliolate or imparipinnately compound; stipules interpetiolar; inflorescence usually of axillary racemes, sometimes contracted; calyx lobes 4 (-5); petals 4 (-5), caducous, often falling as a cap; stamens 2x number of calyx lobes; seeds hairy.
Key to genera of Neotropical Cunoniaceae (including extra-tropical genera):
1. Flowers small (< 1 cm diameter) with or without petals, several to many per inflorescence — 2
1. Flowers large (3-5 cm diameter) with showy petals, solitary — Eucryphia2. Inflorescence paniculate/thyrsoid; stipules free-lateral (4 per node); venation craspedodromous — Caldcluvia
2. Inflorescence of axillary racemes (panicle in one species of Weinmannia from Colombia); stipules various; venation semi-craspedodromous — 33. Leaves palmately compound (leaflets usually 3 or 5); stipules free-lateral (4 per node); corolla absent; stamens 8 (> 2x number of calyx lobes) — Lamanonia
Notable genera and distinguishing features
3. Leaves simple or imparipinnately compound (including 3-foliolate); stipules interpetiolar (2 per node); corolla present but caducous; stamens 2x number of calyx lobes — Weinmannia- Weinmannia - Often a significant component of cloud forests in the Andes where several species can co-occur at one locality or in a single altitudinal zone. Species-level identification often depends on vegetative characters and can be problematic; interspecific hybridization is probably common (Harling 1999).
- Leaves opposite; stipules present.
- Flowers dish-shaped; perianth polysymmetric, pale (white, pale pink, yellowish).
- Gynoeciumsuperior; carpels united at level of ovary, surmounted by free stylodia.
- Fruits capsular; seeds numerous.
- Margins of blades usually toothed.
- Weinmannia resembles Brunellia (Brunelliaceae) and Staphylea (formerly Turpinia p.p., Staphyleaceae) in having opposite, usually toothed leaves (simple or pinnate in Brunellia, imparipinnate in Staphylea) and stipules (interpetiolar in Brunellia, free-lateral in Staphylea), and all three genera occur in montane neotropical forest.
Weinmannia can be distinguished as follows:
- It has a syncarpous ovary (2 carpels) with free stylodia (vs carpels free, 4-6 [-8] in Brunellia; carpels 2-3, partially free or united at level of ovary, stylodia fused distally in Staphylea);
- Axillary racemes (vs axillary panicles/thyrses in Brunellia; axillary or terminal panicles in Staphylea); stipels absent at base of leaflets in compound leaves (vs stipels present in Brunellia; small glands present in Staphylea);
- Petals caducous, often falling like a cap (vs absent in Brunellia; present and not caducous in Staphylea);
- Seeds hairy (vs arillate in Brunellia; without aril or hairs in Staphylea).
Lamanonia is unlikely to be confused with Brunelliaceae or Staphyleaceae.
- Literature
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Important literature
Bausch, J. 1938. A revision of the Eucryphiaceae. Bull. Misc. Inform. Roy. Bot. Gard. Kew 1938: 317-349.
Bradford J.C. 1998. A cladistic analysis of species groups in Weinmannia (Cunoniaceae) based on morphology and inflorescence architecture. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85: 565-593.
Bradford, J.C. 2002. Molecular phylogenetics and morphological evolution in Cunonieae (Cunoniaceae). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 89: 491-503.
Bradford, J.C. & Barnes, R.W. 2001. Phylogenetics and classification of Cunoniaceae (Oxalidales) using chloroplast DNA sequences and morphology. Syst. Bot. 26: 354-385.
Bradford, J.C., Hopkins, H.C.F. & Barnes, R.W. 2004. Cunoniaceae. In: K. Kubitzki (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 6: 91-111. Springer, Berlin.
Harling, G. 1999. 78. Cunoniaceae, in G. Harling & L. Andersson (eds), Flora of Ecuador no. 61. Council of Nordic Publications in Botany, Copenhagen.
Kubitzki, K. 2004. Brunelliaceae. In: K. Kubitzki (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 6: 26-28. Springer, Berlin.
Simmons, S.I. 2006. Staphyleaceae. In K. Kubitzki (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 9: 91-111. Springer, Berlin.
Zickel, C. S. & Leitão Filho, H. de F. 1993. Revisão taxonômica de Lamanonia Vell. (Cunoniaceae). Revista Brasil. Bot. 16: 73-91.
- Ackama A.Cunn.
- Acrophyllum Benth.
- Aistopetalum Schltr.
- Anodopetalum A.Cunn. ex Endl.
- Bauera Banks ex Andrews
- Caldcluvia D.Don
- Callicoma Andrews
- Ceratopetalum Sm.
- Codia J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
- Cunonia L.
- Davidsonia F.Muell.
- Eucryphia Cav.
- Geissois Labill.
- Gillbeea F.Muell.
- Hooglandia McPherson & Lowry
- Karrabina Rozefelds & H.C.Hopkins
- Lamanonia Vell.
- Opocunonia Schltr.
- Pancheria Brongn. & Gris
- Platylophus D.Don
- Pseudoweinmannia Engl.
- Pterophylla D.Don
- Pullea Schltr.
- Schizomeria D.Don
- Spiraeanthemum A.Gray
- Vesselowskya Pamp.
- Weinmannia L.
Cunoniaceae R.Br. appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Voy. Terra Austral. 2: 548. 1814 [19 Jul 1814] (1814)
Accepted by
- APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
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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
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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