The Melianthaceae are 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 ...

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. 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 ...

system includes them within the

rosid The rosids are members of a large clade ( monophyletic group) of flowering plants, containing about 70,000 species, more than a quarter of all angiosperms. The clade is divided into 16 to 20 orders, depending upon circumscription and classific ...

clade. All members of Melianthaceae proper are

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 or

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 trees ...

s found in tropical and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Francoaceae The Francoaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Geraniales, including the genera '' Francoa'', commonly known as bridal wreaths, and '' Tetilla''. The Francoaceae are recognized as a family under various classification schemes ...

(the Bridal wreaths) are sometimes included in the family, a family consisting of two monotypic genera found in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Classification

The family Greyiaceae is merged into Melianthaceae in the APG II system. The family

is optionally included within Melianthaceae. Melianthaceae ''sensu stricto'' * ''

Bersama ''Bersama'' is a genus of small trees in family Francoaceae. The genus is distributed across sub-Saharan Africa. The Plant List includes this genus in family Melianthaceae. Species It contains the following species: * '' Bersama abyssinica'' F ...

'' - 8 species * '' Melianthus'' - 6 species Greyiaceae (included in Melianthaceae) * ''

Greyia ''Greyia'' is a genus of plant in family Francoaceae. It contains three species: * ''Greyia flanaganii'', Bolus * ''Greyia radlkoferi'' * '' Greyia sutherlandii'' Unlike other plants sometimes included in the family Melianthaceae, ''Greyia'' ha ...

'' - three species

(sometimes included, sometimes a separate family) * '' Francoa'' - three species * '' Tetilla hydrocotylefolia'' - a single species

References

Geraniales Rosid families Historically recognized angiosperm families {{Geraniales-stub