Zygophyllaceae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s that contains the
bean-caper and
caltrop
A caltrop (also known as caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, jackrock or crow's foot'' Battle of Alesia'' (Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 52 BC), Battlefield Detectives program, (2006), rebroadcast: 2008-09-08 on History Ch ...
. The family includes around 285 species in 22 genera.
Plants in the family Zygophyllaceae may be trees, shrubs, or herbs. They are often found in dry habitats. The leaves are usually opposite, often with stipules and spines. Some are cultivated as ornamental plants, such as species of the ''
Guaiacum
''Guaiacum'' (''OED'' 2nd edition, 1989.[Entry "guaiacum"](_blank)
in
Zygophyllum
''Zygophyllum'' is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ζυγόν (''zygon''), meaning "double", and φυλλον (''phyllon''), meaning "leaf". It refers to the leaves, ...
'', ''
Tribulus
''Tribulus'' is a genus of plants in the family Zygophyllaceae and found in diverse climates and soils worldwide from latitudes 35°S to 47°N. The best-known member is '' T. terrestris'' (puncture vine), a widespread invasive species and weed.
...
'', and ''
Larrea
''Larrea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of evergreen shrubs that are native to the Americas. The generic name honours Bishop Juan Antonio Hernández Pérez de Larrea, a patron of ...
'' genera.
Zygophyllaceae
i
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz
(1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. King Clone
King Clone is thought to be the oldest Larrea tridentata, creosote bush ring in the Mojave Desert. The ring is estimated to be 11,700 years old, making it one of the List of long-living organisms, oldest living organisms on Earth. This single c ...
, a creosote bush ''(Larrea tridentata
''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of n ...
)'' in California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, is among the world's oldest living organisms.
Genera
''Peganum
''Peganum'' L. is a genus under the recently separated family Nitrariaceae. Formerly it used to be included in the family Zygophyllaceae.
Phylogeny and Species
The genus has around five species, occurring in warm temperate to subtropical reg ...
'' was in Zygophyllaceae before being moved to the newly created family Nitrariaceae
Nitrariaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. It comprises four genera, '' Malacocarpus'', ''Nitraria'', ''Peganum'' and ''Tetradiclis'', totalling 19 species.
The family's main range is in the arid and semi-arid regions ...
.
Systematics
In the APG III system
The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy being developed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG). Published in 2009, it was superseded in 2016 by a fur ...
of classification Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood.
Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes.
It may also refer to:
Business, organizat ...
, the families Zygophyllaceae and Krameriaceae compose the order Zygophyllales
The Zygophyllales are an order of dicotyledonous plants, comprising the following two families:
* Family Zygophyllaceae
* Family Krameriaceae
According to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG II) both families are unplaced to order, but nevert ...
. In the previous version of their classification system Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood.
Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes.
It may also refer to:
Business, organizat ...
, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants (angiosperms) that reflects new knowledge about plant relationships disco ...
had included the option of placing '' Krameria'' within Zygophyllaceae.
Zygophyllaceae are divided into five subfamilies. Molecular phylogenies
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
of the family were published in 2000 and 2018. Phylogenies
A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...
of groups within the family, particularly the predominantly southern African species of Zygophylloideae have also been published.[
Modern ]molecular phylogenetics
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
suggest the following relationships:
References
External links
Family Zygophyllaceae
Flowers in Israel
Chilean Zygophyllaceae
Chileflora
{{authority control
Rosid families