Lythraceae is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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 t ...
s, including 32
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
, with about 620
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...
s,
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...
s, and
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s.
The larger genera include ''
Cuphea
''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to tall. Com ...
'' (275 spp.), ''
Lagerstroemia
''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...
'' (56), ''
Nesaea In Greek mythology, Nesaea, Nesaia or Nisaea (Ancient Greek: Νησαίη ''Nêsaiê'' means 'the dweller on islands') was the 'white' Nereid of islands, one of the 50 marine-nymph daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Dor ...
'' (50), ''
'' (45), and ''
Lythrum
''Lythrum'' is a genus of 38 species of flowering plants native to the temperate world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''Lysimachia'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family Lythraceae.
Desc ...
'' (35).
It also includes the
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
(''
Punica
''Punica'' is a small genus of fruit-bearing deciduous shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Lythraceae. The better known species is the pomegranate (''Punica granatum''). The other species, the Socotra pomegranate (''Punica ...
granatum'', formerly in
Punicaceae) and the
water caltrop
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
(''
Trapa
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
natans'', formerly in
Trapaceae
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
). Lythraceae has a worldwide distribution, with most species in the tropics, but ranging into temperate climate regions as well.
The family is named after the type genus, ''
Lythrum
''Lythrum'' is a genus of 38 species of flowering plants native to the temperate world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''Lysimachia'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family Lythraceae.
Desc ...
'', the loosestrifes (e.g. ''Lythrum salicaria''
purple loosestrife
''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...
) and also includes
henna
Henna is a dye prepared from the plant ''Lawsonia inermis'', also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus ''Lawsonia''.
''Henna'' can also refer to the temporary body art resulting fr ...
(''Lawsonia inermis''). It now includes the
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
, formerly classed in a separate family
Punicaceae. The family also includes the widely cultivated
crape myrtle
''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...
trees. Botanically, the leaves are usually in pairs (opposite), and the flower petals emerge from the rim of the
calyx tube. The petals often appear crumpled.
Characteristics
Lythraceae species are most often herbs, and less often shrubs or trees; the shrubs and trees often have flaky bark.
Traits shared by species within the Lythraceae that distinguish them from belonging to other plant families are the petals being crumpled in the bud and the many-layered outer integument of the seed.
Leaves
The leaves generally have an
opposite arrangement, but sometimes are
whorled or
alternate
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
. They are
simple
Simple or SIMPLE may refer to:
*Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple
Arts and entertainment
* ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track
* "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018
* "Simple", a song by Johnn ...
with smooth margins and
pinnate
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, an ...
venation.
Stipules are typically reduced, appearing as a row of minute hairs,
or absent.
Flowers
The flowers are bisexual,
radially or occasionally
bilaterally symmetric, with a well-developed
hypanthium
In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...
. The flowers are most commonly
quadimerous but can be heximerous, with four to eight sepals and petals. The sepals may be distinct, partially fused to form a tube, or touching without overlapping. The petals are crumpled in the bud and wrinkled at maturity, and are typically distinct and overlapping; they are occasionally absent.
Usually, twice as many stamens as petals are seen, arranged in two whorls, and the stamens are often unequal in length. Occasionally, the stamens are reduced to one whorl, or are more numerous with multiple whorls.
The ovary is typically
superior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
*Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lake ...
, infrequently
semi-inferior,
or rarely
inferior. The two to many carpels can be fused together (
syncarpous
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' ...
), with two to numerous ovules in each
locule
A locule (plural locules) or loculus (plural loculi) (meaning "little place" in Latin) is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism (animal, plant, or fungus).
In angiosperms (flowering plants), the term ''locule'' usu ...
, with axile placentation of the ovules.
Heterostyly
Heterostyly is a unique form of polymorphism and herkogamy in flowers. In a heterostylous species, two or three morphological types of flowers, termed "morphs", exist in the population. On each individual plant, all flowers share the same morph ...
– the presence of two (distylous) or three (tristylous) distinct flower morphs within a species differing in the lengths of the pistil and stamens – is common within the Lythraceae.
Fruits and seeds
The fruit is usually a dry,
dehiscent
Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...
capsule, occasionally a
berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...
. The seeds are usually flattened and/or winged, with a multilayered outer
integument
In biology, an integument is the tissue surrounding an organism's body or an organ within, such as skin, a husk, shell, germ or rind.
Etymology
The term is derived from ''integumentum'', which is Latin for "a covering". In a transferred, or ...
.
Epidermal
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water relea ...
hairs that expand and become mucilaginous when wet are found in about half the genera.
Distribution
The Lythraceae are widely distributed, but with most species tropical and some temperate.
They are absent from the
Sahara and most arid regions of Australia.
Many species occur in aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats (''
Decodon'', ''
Didiplis'', ''
'', ''
Sonneratia
''Sonneratia'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the ''Sonneratia'' and the ''Duabanga'', but these two are now placed in their own mono ...
'', ''
Trapa
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
'').
The oldest fossils of the family are pollen from the Late Cretaceous (
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campani ...
) of Wyoming in western North America, around 82 to 81 million years old.
Economic importance
Edible crops include the
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
(''Punica granatum'') and the
water caltrop
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
(''Trapa bicornis'' or ''T. natans''). The pomegranate is cultivated for the fleshy
arils surrounding the seeds, and the water caltrop for its seeds.
Henna (''Lawsonia inermis'') is cultivated for the dye of the same name, derived from its leaves.
Ornamentals are grown from a number of genera, including ''
Cuphea
''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to tall. Com ...
'', ''
Lagerstroemia
''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...
'' (crape myrtles), and ''
Lythrum
''Lythrum'' is a genus of 38 species of flowering plants native to the temperate world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''Lysimachia'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family Lythraceae.
Desc ...
'' (loosestrifes).
Purple loosestrife (''
Lythrum salicaria
''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...
'') is an invasive exotic weed of wetlands throughout Canada and the United States.
Taxonomy
Within the order
Myrtales, the family Lythraceae is most closely related to the
Onagraceae
The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees[Combretaceae
The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combret ...]
sister to both families.
Molecular phylogeny work has led to the inclusion of the formerly recognized families Duabangaceae, Punicaceae, Sonneratiaceae, and Trapaceae.
Genera
Lythraceae has 31 genera in five subfamilies:
*Subfamily
Lythroideae Juss.
Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (; 12 April 1748 – 17 September 1836) was a French botanist, notable as the first to publish a natural classification of flowering plants; much of his system remains in use today. His classification was based on an ...
ex Arn. 1832 = 'Lythraceae
sensu stricto', 27 genera:
:*''
Adenaria''
:*''
Ammannia''
:*''
Capuronia''
:*''
Crenea''
:*''
Cuphea
''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to tall. Com ...
''
:*''
Decodon''
:*''
Didiplis''
:*''
Diplusodon''
:*''
Galpinia''
:*''
Ginoria
''Ginoria'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. It contains 13 species which are native to southern Mexico and the Caribbean.
Species
13 species are currently accepted:
*'' Ginoria americana'' – Cuba
*'' Ginoria arborea'' – sout ...
''
:*''
Haitia''
:*''
Heimia
''Heimia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the loosestrife family, Lythraceae. It contains two or three species of closely related shrubs commonly known as sun opener or shrubby yellowcrest. They are native to the Americas, from northern Argen ...
''
:*''
Hionanthera''
:*''
Koehneria
''Koehneria'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lythraceae. The only species is ''Koehneria madagascariensis''
It is native to Madagascar.
The genus name of ''Koehneria'' is in honour of Bernhard Adalbert Emil Koeh ...
''
:*''
Lafoensia''
:*''
Lagerstroemia
''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...
''
:*''
Lawsonia''
:*''
Lourtella
''Lourtella'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lythraceae. The only species is ''Lourtella resinosa'' .
It is native to Peru and Bolivia.
The genus name of ''Lourtella'' is in honour of Alicia Lourteig
Alicia L ...
''
:*''
Lythrum
''Lythrum'' is a genus of 38 species of flowering plants native to the temperate world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''Lysimachia'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family Lythraceae.
Desc ...
''
:*''
Nesaea In Greek mythology, Nesaea, Nesaia or Nisaea (Ancient Greek: Νησαίη ''Nêsaiê'' means 'the dweller on islands') was the 'white' Nereid of islands, one of the 50 marine-nymph daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Dor ...
''
:*''
Pehria''
:*''
Pemphis
''Pemphis'' is a genus of maritime plants in family Lythraceae. It was recently thought have only one species (the type species, described in 1775, ''Pemphis acidula'' ) but is now believed to have at least two.
''Pemphis'' are highly ada ...
''
:*''
Physocalymma''
:*''
Pleurophora''
:*
''Rotala''
:*''
Tetrataxis''
:*''
Woodfordia''
*Subfamily
Punicoideae ( Horan. 1834) S. A. Graham, Thorne & Reveal 1998 = '
Punicaceae',
1 genus:
:*''
Punica
''Punica'' is a small genus of fruit-bearing deciduous shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Lythraceae. The better known species is the pomegranate (''Punica granatum''). The other species, the Socotra pomegranate (''Punica ...
''
*Subfamily
Sonneratioideae ( Engl. & Gilg Gilg is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Candice Gilg (born 1972), French freestyle skier
* Deborah R. Gilg (born 1951), American lawyer
*Ernest Friedrich Gilg (1867–1933), German botanist
* Karl Gilg (1901–1981), German ch ...
1924) S. A. Graham, Thorne & Reveal 1998,
1 genus:
:*''
Sonneratia
''Sonneratia'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the ''Sonneratia'' and the ''Duabanga'', but these two are now placed in their own mono ...
''
*Subfamily
Duabangoideae ( Takht. 1986) S. A. Graham, Thorne & Reveal 1998 = 'Duabangaceae',
1 genus:
:*''
Duabanga
''Duabanga'' is a small genus of lowland evergreen rainforest trees in southeast Asia, comprising two or three species.
''Duabanga'' was traditionally included in the ditypic family Sonneratiaceae, but it is now classified in its own monotypic ...
''
*Subfamily
Trapoideae Voigt 1845 = '
Trapaceae
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
', 1 genus:
:*''
Trapa
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin ko ...
''
*Subfamily ''
Incertae sedis
' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...
''
:*†''
Shirleya''
Pigg & DeVore (Miocene, Washington state)
Gallery
Image:Lagerstroemia indica 0002.jpg, Crepe myrtle
''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia ...
Image:Lagerstroemia_indica-petals.jpg, Crepe myrtle flowers - the petals emerge from the calyx tube.
Image:Blutweiderich 0506112.jpg, ''Lythrum salicaria
''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...
''
Image:Cuphea ignea1.jpg, ''Cuphea ignea
''Cuphea ignea'', the cigar plant, cigar flower, firecracker plant, or Mexican cigar, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Cuphea'' of the family Lythraceae. It is a tropical, densely branched evergreen subshrub. This species, native t ...
''
Image:Cuphea nudicostata 3.jpg, ''Cuphea nudicostata
''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to tall. Com ...
''
Image:Pomegranate flower and fruit.jpg, Pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
File:Unidentified Rotala species W IMG_3730.jpg, '''' species
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Authority control
Myrtales families