The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their distribution is cosmopolitan overall. The only synapomorphy within the Moraceae is presence of

laticifer A laticifer is a type of elongated secretory cell found in the leaves and/or stems of plants that produce latex and rubber as secondary metabolites. Laticifers may be divided into: *Articulated laticifers, i.e., composed of a series of cells joined ...

s and milky sap in all parenchymatous tissues, but generally useful field characters include two

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

sometimes with one reduced, compound inconspicuous flowers, and compound fruits. The family includes well-known plants such as the

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

, banyan,

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...

, jackfruit,

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

, and Osage orange. The 'flowers' of Moraceae are often pseudanthia (reduced inflorescences). Ficus retusa, Moraceae, Bagh-e-Jinnah

Historical taxonomy

Formerly included within the now defunct order Urticales, recent molecular studies have resulted in the family's placement within the Rosales in a clade called the urticalean rosids that also includes Ulmaceae, Celtidaceae, Cannabaceae, and Urticaceae. '' Cecropia'', which has variously been placed in the Moraceae, Urticaceae, or their own family, Cecropiaceae, is now included in the Urticaceae.

Dioecy Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

(having individuals with separate sexes) appears to be the primitive state in Moraceae.

Monoecy Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

has evolved independently at least four times within the family.

Characteristics

Flowers

The individual flowers are often small, with single whorled or absent perianth. Most flowers have either petals or sepals, but not both, known as

monochlamydeae Monochlamydae is an artificial taxonomic group used in the identification of plants. It was largely abandoned by taxonomists in the 19th century, but has been often used since. Bentham and Hooker's classification, published in 1880, used this gr ...

, and have pistils and stamens in different flowers, known as

diclinous Plant reproductive morphology is the study of the physical form and structure (the morphology) of those parts of plants directly or indirectly concerned with sexual reproduction. Among all living organisms, flowers, which are the reproductive st ...

. Except for ''

Brosimum gaudichaudii ''Brosimum'' is a genus of plants in the family Moraceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas. The breadnut ('' B. alicastrum'') was used by the Maya civilization for its edible nut. The dense vividly colored scarlet wood of '' B. paraens ...

'' and '' Castilla elastica'', the perianth in all species of the Moraceae contain sepals. If the flower has an inflexed stamen, then pollen is released and distributed by wind dispersal; however, if the stamen is straight, then insect pollination is most likely to occur. Insect pollination occurs in ''

Antiaropsis ''Antiaropsis'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Moraceae. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers borne on separate plants. Its native range is New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as P ...

'', '' Artocarpus'', ''

Castilla Castile, Castille or Castilla may refer to: Places Spain *Castile (historical region), a vaguely defined historical region of Spain covering most of Castile and León, all of the Community of Madrid and most of Castilla–La Mancha *Kingdom of ...

'', '' Dorstenia'', '' Ficus'', and ''

Mesogyne ''Mesogyne'' is a genus of plants in the family Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and ...

''.

Leaves

The leaves are much like the flowers when analyzing diversity. The leaves can be singly attached to the stem or alternating, they may be lobed or unlobed, and can be evergreen or deciduous depending on the species in question. The

red mulberry ''Morus rubra'', commonly known as the red mulberry, is a species of mulberry native to eastern and central North America. It is found from Ontario, Minnesota, and Vermont south to southern Florida, and west as far as southeastern South Dakota, ...

can host numerous leaf types on the same tree. Leaves can be both lobed and unlobed and appear very different, but coexist on the same plant.

Fruits and seeds

Plant species in the Moraceae are best known for their fruits. Overall, most species produced a fleshy fruit containing seeds. Examples include the

from ''Artocarpus altillis'', the

from ''Morus rubra'', the

from ''Ficus carica'', and the jackfruit from ''Artocarpus heterophyllus''.

Distribution

Moraceae can be found throughout the world with a cosmopolitan distribution, thought to be due to the breakup of

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...

during the Jurassic period. The majority of species originate in the Old World tropics, particularly in Asia and the Pacific islands.

Phylogeny

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest these relationships:

Tribes and genera

The Moraceae comprise: *

Artocarpeae Artocarpeae is a tribe (biology), tribe within the plant family Moraceae. It includes 7 to 12 genus, genera and 70 to 87 species including ''Artocarpus altilis'', the breadfruit. Description Species in the Artocarpeae are tropical trees or shru ...

Lam. & DC. 1806 ** '' Artocarpus'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (c. 50 spp.) ** '' Batocarpus'' H.Karst. (4 spp.) ** ''

Clarisia ''Clarisia'' is a genus of trees in the family Moraceae, native to North and South America (from Mexico to Bolivia). Taxonomy The genus ''Clarisia'' contains the following species: * '' Clarisia biflora'' Ruiz & Pav. * '' Clarisia ilicifolia'' ...

'' Ruiz & Pav. (3 spp.) ** ''

Hullettia ''Hullettia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Moraceae. It is native to Myanmar, Malay Peninsula, Malaya, Thailand and Sumatera. The genus name of ''Hullettia'' is in honour of Richmond William Hullett (1843–1914), an En ...

'' King ex Hook.f. (2 spp.) ** '' Parartocarpus'' Baill. (3 spp.) ** ''

Prainea ''Prainea'' is a genus of trees in the plant family Moraceae that is native to Southeast Asia. It is sometimes treated as a subgenus of Artocarpus. It is dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that i ...

'' King ex Hook.f. (4 spp.) ** ''

Treculia ''Treculia'' is a genus of trees in the plant family Moraceae that is native to west and central Africa and Madagascar. The best-known member of the genus, ''Treculia africana'', commonly known as the African breadfruit, is used as a food plant. ...

'' Decne. ex Trécul (3 spp.) *

Castilleae The Castilleae are a tribe within the plant family Moraceae. It includes eight to 11 genera and 55–60 species including '' Castilla'', the Panama rubber tree. Members of the tribe are primarily Neotropical with two Afrotropical genera, one gen ...

C.C.Berg 1977 ** Antiaropsineae (C.C.Berg) Clement & Weiblen 2005 *** ''

'' K.Schum. (1 sp.) *** ''

Sparattosyce ''Sparattosyce'' is a genus of trees in the family Moraceae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia in the Pacific and contains two species. Its closest relative is '' Antiaropsis'' from New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; ...

'' Bur. (1 sp.) ** Castillineae Clement & Weiblen 2009 *** '' Antiaris'' Lesch. (1 sp.) *** ''

'' Cerv. (3 spp.) *** ''

Helicostylis ''Helicostylis'' is a genus of plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, a ...

'' Trécul (7 spp.) *** ''

Maquira ''Maquira'' is a genus of trees in the family Moraceae, native to South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern He ...

'' Aubl. (5 spp.) *** ''

'' Engl. (1 sp.) *** '' Naucleopsis'' Miq. (c. 20 spp.) *** '' Perebea'' Aubl. (9 spp.) *** ''

Poulsenia ''Poulsenia'' is a monotypic genus of trees in the family Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tr ...

'' Eggers (1 sp.) *** '' Pseudolmedia'' Trécul (c. 9 spp.) * Dorstenieae Dumort. 1830 ** ''

Bleekrodea ''Bleekrodea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Moraceae. Its native range is Madagascar, Tropical Asia. Species: *'' Bleekrodea insignis'' *'' Bleekrodea madagascariensis'' *'' Bleekrodea tonkinensis'' References ...

'' Blume (3 spp.) ** '' Bosqueiopsis'' De Wild. & T.Durand (1 sp.) ** '' Brosimum'' Sw. (13 spp.) ** '' Broussonetia'' L’Hér. ex Vent. (8 spp.) ** '' Dorstenia'' L. (c. 105 spp.) ** ''

Fatoua ''Fatoua'' is a genus of 3 species of herbs in the mulberry family. Species *'' Fatoua villosa'' *'' Fatoua pilosa'' *'' Fatoua madagascariensis'' Bibliography {{Taxonbar, from=Q147612 Moraceae genera Moraceae ...

'' Gaudich. (3 spp.) ** '' Helianthostylis'' Baill. (2 spp.) ** '' Malaisia'' Blanco 1837 (1 sp.) ** ''

Scyphosyce ''Scyphosyce'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Moraceae. Its native range is Nigeria and west-central Tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic re ...

'' Baill. (2 spp.) ** '' Sloetia'' Teijsm. & Binn. ex Kurz 1864 (1 sp.) ** ''

Trilepisium ''Trilepisium'', the urnfigs or false-figs, is a small Afrotropical genus of plants in family Moraceae. They grow to medium-sized or large trees that occur in evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, flooded forests or forest patches and often alo ...

'' Thouars (1 sp.) ** '' Trymatococcus'' Poepp. & Endl. (2 spp.) ** ''

Utsetela ''Utsetela'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widesp ...

'' Pellegr. (1 sp.) *

Ficeae ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending i ...

Gaudich. 1830 **'' Ficus'' L. (750 spp.) *

Maclureae ''Maclura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mulberry family, Moraceae. It includes the inedible Osage orange, which is used as mosquito repellent and grown throughout the United States as a hedging plant. It is dioecious, with male and ...

W.L. Clement & Weiblen 2009 ** '' Maclura'' Nutt. (11 spp.) * Moreae Dumort. 1829 ** ''

Bagassa ''Bagassa guianensis'' is a tree in the plant family Moraceae which is native to the Guianas and Brazil. It is valued as a timber tree and as a food tree for wildlife. The juvenile leaves are distinctly different in appearance from the mature l ...

'' Aubl. (1 sp.) ** '' Milicia'' Sim (2 spp.) ** '' Morus'' L. (c. 12 spp.) ** ''

Sorocea ''Sorocea'' is a Neotropical genus of woody plants in the family Moraceae. Its distribution ranges from Chiapas to southern Brazil. It is placed within the tribe Moreae, and is closely related to the Monotypic taxon, monotypic ''Bagassa''. Spec ...

'' A.St.-Hil. (22 spp.) ** ''

Streblus ''Streblus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mulberry family, Moraceae. The genus is found in the Pacific across Southeast Asia, Eastern Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Species include: *''Streblus asper'' Lour. – Siame ...

'' Lour. (c. 24 spp.) ** '' Trophis'' P.Browne (8 spp.) *Fossils **

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

'' Artocarpoides''

References

External links

Moraceae
i
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
{{Authority control Rosales Rosid families Extant Campanian first appearances