Corsiaceae Becc.

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, mycoheterotrophic (""saprophytic"") with short, tuberous roots"

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, 4-6, reduced to closed sheaths

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, terminal, solitary; tepals 6, petaloid, the 3 inner ones and 2 of the outer ones filiform, the median outer one wider and standard-like, reflexed, with 2 rows of bullate structures; stamens 6, with short filaments, anthers dorsifixed, extrorse; ovary inferior, 1-locular, placentation parietal, ovules many, styles 3, each with a capitate stigma

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits reflexed capsules, opening with 1 terminal triangular aperture

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds many, dust-like.

Note

Notes on delimitation: Recent research states that the position of the family is uncertain, but in the APG III (Stevens, 2008; APG III, 2009) it is placed in Liliales. In the past the Corsiaceae have been included in the Burmanniaceae.  Cronquist (1981) placed the family in the order Orchidales with the Orchidaceae and Geosiridaceae.  Takthtajan (2009) placed it in Burmanniales along with Burmanniaceae and Thismiaceae. Corsiaceae is a family rarely collected in the Neotropics, most collections come from extra-neotropical regions in Bolivia and Argentina. Arachnitis species may be pollinated by fungus gnats (Ibisch et al., 1996).

Distribution

Worldwide the Corsiaceae comprise three genera and ca. 30 species, of which only one genus occurs in the Neotropics. Arachnitis Phil. - (2 spp.) montane, moist forests of Peru and Bolivia to Patagonia in the South, at elevations of 0-2,500 m. Arachnitis is native in the Neotropics, and not cultivated.

Diagnostic

"Distinguishing characters (always present): Mycoheterotrophic (""saprophytic"") herbs with scale-like leaves. Flowers solitary, terminal, zygomorphic, tepals 6 (5 filiform and 1 large, standard-like, enclosing the other ones in bud). Fruit a capsule, opening with 1 terminal, triangular aperture." Key differences from similar families: Corsiaceae can, when superficially studied, only be confused with Orchidaceae, but they clearly differ in having 6 stamens instead of  the 1, rarely 3, found in the Orchidaceae.