[FWTA]
Caricaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954
- Morphology General Habit
- Small trees or shrubs with a terminal cluster of leaves and milky juice; leaves alternate, often variously digitately lobed or foliolate; stipules absent; flowers hermaphrodite and unisexual, racemose; male flower: calyx 5-lobed, small; petals united into a slender tube; lobes contorted or valvate; stamens 10, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate at the base; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise; rudimentary ovary present or absent; female flower: calyx of the male; petals at first connivent, at length free; no staminodes; ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled or spuriously 5-celled, with parietal placentas; ovules numerous; style short or absent; fruit a pulpy berry; seeds with fleshy endosperm and straight embryo
[NTK]
Zappi, D. (2009). Neotropical Caricaceae.
- Morphology
-
Description
Trees or shrubs, often poorly branched and pachycaul, rarely herbs or climbers , trunk occasionally covered in spines, often laticiferous , latex transparent or whitish. Stipules normally present, sometimes transformed in spines. Leaves generally petiolate , glabrous , generally with foetid or rank smell, venation generally palmate , entire to deeply dissected , sometimes digitate to trifoliolate , sometimes peltate (in Jarrilla Rusbydeltoid in outline), margin lobed , crenate or dentate , sometimes entire , base often cordate . Inflorescences axillary , cymose, racemose or paniculate, pedunculate or not, flowers sometimes solitary. Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual in dioecious or polygamo- dioecious plants, hypogynous; calyx 5- merous , lobes free ; corolla 5- merous , lobes fused or free , white, cream or greenish; stamens 5-10, free or fused to the corolla and/or adnate, anthers dehiscing longitudinally; ovary superior , unilocular and with parietal placentation or 5-locular and then axile placentation, many-ovuled, style present, generally stout. Fruita large, green to orange, fleshy berry , indehiscent , many-seeded; seeds enveloped in mucilaginous pulp, testa verrucose , black, embryo straight, endosperm oily.
- Distribution
-
Distribution in the Neotropics
- Represented by three genera and over 30 species widely distributed in the Neotropics.
- General Description
-
Number of genera
- Carica L., 22 species throughout the Neotropics, poorly branched trees to shrubs (Carica papaya L. widely cultivated for its edible fruit).
- Jacaratia A.DC., 6 species in arid regions of the Neotropics, pachycaul trees sometimes with spiny branches, leaves digitate.
- Jarrilla heterophylla I.M.Johnst., 1 species only found in Mexico, herbaceous, decumbent.
- Carica papaya is an important food crop, especially in Northeastern Brazil. This species has two types of plants: one with many-flowered inflorecences comprising staminate and pistillate flowers, that sometimes produce an elongated fruit, and the other with pistillate, sessile flowers, producing abundant rounded fruits, known as Papaya, Mamão (Braz.) and Fruta-Bomba (Caribbean).
- Together with the Brassicaceae, the Caricaceae is currently placed within order Brassicales alongside Tropaeolaceae (APGII, 2003, Souza & Lorenzi 2005).
- Diagnostic
-
Useful tips for generic identification
Key to genera of Neotropical Caricaceae
1. Herbaceous, decumbent plants, with deltoid leaves .... Jarrilla
1. Shrubs or trees, self-supported, leaves never deltoid ... 22. Leaves entire to deeply lobed, branches smooth .... Carica
Distinguishing characters (always present)
2. Leaves digitate to trifoliolate, branches often spiny.... Jacaratia- Rank or foetid smell.
- Mostly shrubby or tree -like.
- Stamens didynamous.
- Superiorovary with parietal placentation, stout style.
- Large fruits with soft epicarp and succulentpericarp.
- Differs from Brassicaceae and Tropaeolaceae in woody, shrubby to tree-like habit.
- From Araliaceae (similar due to its palmately compound leaves) in superiorovary and pentamerous flowers (vs. Araliaceae inferior ovary, tetramerous flowers).
- From Bombacaceae (similar leaf shape and sometimes spinytrunk) in succulentindehiscentfruit (vs. Bombacaceae fruits which are dehiscent capsules with woolly seeds).
- Spiny stems (sometimes).
- Palmate leaves.
- Latex present.
- Literature
-
Important literature
APG II, 2003. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 141(4): 399-436.
Gentry, A.H. 1996. A field guide to the families and genera of Woody Plants of Northwest South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.
Souza, V.C. & Lorenzi, H. 2005. Botânica Sistemática: guia ilustrativo para identificação das famílias de Angiospermas da flora brasileira, baseado em APG II. Nova Odessa, Brazil: Instituto Plantarum.
Badillo, V.M. 1971. Monografia de la Familia Caricaceae. Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay.
[FSOM]
M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, usually with simple stems, rarely herbs, with milky latex in all parts
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves large, usually clustered at branch tips, variously lobed, without stipules
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Female flowers with ± free petals; ovary superior, 1- or 5-celled with numerous ovules and parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5 Male flowers with long corolla-tube; stamens 10, in 2 whorls, inserted on the corolla Flowers unisexual or bisexual, regular, 5-merous, in axillary inflorescences or cauliflorous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a fleshy berry; seeds numerous, with endosperm.
- Distribution
- Family of four genera, only one of which, Cylicomorpha Urb., is native in Africa.
[FZ]
Caricaceae, F. K. Kupicha. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs with simple or sparingly branched stems, rarely herbs; milky latex present in all parts
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate, exstipulate, petiolate, simple and entire or variously lobed or divided
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers dioecious, monoecious or hermaphrodite, pentamerous, actinomorphic, in axillary inflorescences or, rarely plants cauliflorous Female flower: petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 5-carpellary, 1-locular or 5-locular, with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, connate at the base, entire or lobed Male flower: corolla gamopetalous, with valvate or contorted lobes; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate into a short staminal ring
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx small, gamosepalous, subentire or 3–5-lobed, the lobes opposing or alternating with petals
- sex Male
- Male flower: corolla gamopetalous, with valvate or contorted lobes; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate into a short staminal ring
- sex Female
- Female flower: petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 5-carpellary, 1-locular or 5-locular, with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, connate at the base, entire or lobed
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovules ?, anatropous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a fleshy many-seeded berry
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds with succulent outer sarcotesta and hard endotesta; endosperm present
[FTEA]
Caricaceae, J. H. Hemsley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1958
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, usually with simple trunks or stems, rarely herbs; milky latex present in all parts
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves large, usually clustered at branch tips, long-petioled and exstipulate, variously lobed and divided, glabrous or rarely hairy
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences axillary or rarely cauliflorous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers dioecious, monoecious or hermaphrodite, pentamerous and regular Male flowers gamopetalous; corolla-tube long and narrow; lobes ± valvate or contorted; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate Female flowers with petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 1- or 5-locular with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, sessile, simple or fimbriate; ovules numerous, anatropous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx small, gamosepalous, 5-lobed
- sex Male
- Male flowers gamopetalous; corolla-tube long and narrow; lobes ± valvate or contorted; stamens 10, biseriate, inserted on the corolla; filaments free or connate
- sex Female
- Female flowers with petals ± free; ovary superior, sessile, 1- or 5-locular with parietal placentation; style short or absent; stigmas 5, sessile, simple or fimbriate; ovules numerous, anatropous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a fleshy berry with numerous seeds; seed with soft succulent outer testa and hard inner testa; endosperm present; embryo straight
Caricaceae Dumort. appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Anal. Fam. Pl. 37, 42. 1829 (1829)
Accepted by
- APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
Literature
Flora of Somalia
- Badillo, Monografia de la familia Caricaceae (1971)
- Fl. Eth. Er. 2(2): 64 (1995).
- Fl. Trop. E. Afr. (1958)
- Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
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