Bruniaceae is a family of shrubs native to the cape region of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. They are mostly restricted to the

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

, but a small number of species occur in KwaZulu-Natal.

Description

Species belonging to the Bruniaceae are heath-like shrubs. They have small, hard, scaly leaves that are alternate but regularly set and overlapping. A distinct character is the minute black tip of the leaves when these are young. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a dense spike or spherical flowerhead with up to 400 flowers at the end of the stems. Individual flowers are tube-shaped and

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

, there are five sepals which may be free or connected at their rim, while the ovary sits under the other parts of the flower. The fruit is dry when ripe, opens with two or four valves and contains fleshy seeds.

Taxonomy

In the

APG II The APG II system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II system) of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Gr ...

taxonomy they are placed in the order

Lamiales The order Lamiales (also known as the mint order) are an order in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It includes about 23,810 species, 1,059 genera, and is divided into about 25 families. These families include Acanthaceae, Big ...

, but a 2008 study suggested that they are sister to the

Columelliaceae Columelliaceae is a family of trees and shrubs native to the Andes of South America. In the APG II taxonomy it is placed in the order Lamiales, but a 2008 study suggested that the family is sister to the Bruniaceae, and the Angiosperm Phylogen ...

, and the

Angiosperm Phylogeny Website The Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (or APweb) is a website dedicated to research on angiosperm phylogeny and taxonomy. The site is hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden website and maintained by researchers, Peter F. Stevens and Hilary M. Davis ...

proposes incorporating this finding by placing both families in order

Bruniales Bruniales is a valid botanic name at the rank of order. Until recently it was not in use, but a 2008 study suggested that Bruniaceae and Columelliaceae are sister clades. The latest revision of the APG system, APG III, places both families as th ...

Genera

There are twelve genera, totalling 77 species: * ''

Audouinia ''Audouinia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Bruniaceae Bruniaceae is a family of shrubs native to the cape region of South Africa. They are mostly restricted to the Cape Province, but a small number of species occur in ...

'' Brongn. * '' Berzelia'' Brongn. * '' Brunia'' Lam. * ''

Linconia Linconia was the name of a proposed Central American colony suggested by Republican United States Senator Samuel Pomeroy of Kansas in 1862, after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln asked the Senator and United States Secretary of the Interior Caleb ...

'' L. * '' Lonchostoma'' Wikstr. * '' Mniothamnea'' (Oliv.) Nied. * '' Nebelia'' Neck. ex Sweet * '' Pseudobaeckea'' Nied. * '' Raspalia'' Brongn. * '' Staavia'' Dahl * '' Thamnea'' Sol. ex Brongn. * '' Tittmannia'' Brongn.

References

Asterid families Bruniales Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of KwaZulu-Natal {{asterid-stub