The Marcgraviaceae are a neotropical

angiosperm 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 ...

family in the order Ericales. The members of the family are

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, woody epiphytes, and

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a t ...

s, with alternate, pinnately nerved

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are arranged in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s. The flowers are accompanied by modified, fleshy, saccate

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

s which produce

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualist ...

. The flowers are pentamerous. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

s are capsules.

General

*''

Marcgravia ''Marcgravia'' is a genus of plants in the Marcgraviaceae family commonly eaten by the dwarf little fruit bat. The genus is native to the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and South America, and genus is named in memory of the German naturalis ...

'' - (ca. 65 spp.): S Mexico, Mesoamerica, South America, Antilles *''

Marcgraviastrum ''Marcgraviastrum'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Marcgraviaceae The Marcgraviaceae are a neotropical angiosperm family in the order Ericales. The members of the family are shrubs, woody epiphytes, and lianas, with alternate, pinnat ...

'' - (15 spp.): S Nicaragua to Peru, Bolivia plus 2 spp. in E Brazil *''

Norantea ''Norantea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Marcgraviaceae. Its native range is the Southern Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Ame ...

'' - (2 spp.): Caribbean and Amazonian basin of NE South America *''

Ruyschia ''Ruyschia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Marcgraviaceae. Its native range is from southern Mexico down to Tropical America. It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Leeward ...

'' - (9 spp.): Mesoamerica, N Andes, Lesser Antilles *''

Sarcopera ''Sarcopera'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Marcgraviaceae The Marcgraviaceae are a neotropical angiosperm family in the order Ericales. The members of the family are shrubs, woody epiphytes, and lianas, with alternate ...

'' - (ca. 10 spp.): Honduras to N Bolivia, Guyayana Highlands *'' Schwartzia'' - (ca. 15 spp.): Costa Rica through the Andes south to Bolivia, in the Caribbean basin and 1 sp. in E Brazil *''

Souroubea ''Souroubea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Marcgraviaceae The Marcgraviaceae are a neotropical angiosperm family in the order Ericales. The members of the family are shrubs, woody epiphytes, and lianas, with alternate, pinnatel ...

'' - (19 spp.): Mexico to Bolivia (absent from the Antilles) There are 2 known subfamilies; ''Marcgravioideae'' (containing ''Marcgravia'' and ''Marcgraviastrum'') and ''Noranteoideae'' (containing the rest of the genera). Former genus include ''Pseudosarcopera'' (now listed as a synonym of ''Sarcopera'').

References

Other sources

* Bedell, H.G. 1989. Marcgraviaceae. In: Howard, R.A. (ed.). Flora of the Lesser Antilles 5: 300-310. * Dressler, S. 2000. Marcgraviaceae. In: Flora de República de Cuba, Ser. A, Fasc. 5: 1-14. * Dressler, S. 2001. Marcgraviaceae. In: Steyermark, J.A., P.E. Berry, K. Yatskievych & B.K. Holst (eds.), Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana vol 6, pp. 248-260. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. * Dressler, S. 2004. Marcgraviaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (ed.). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. vol. 6, pp. 258-265. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

External links

Marcgraviaceae
i
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.
http://delta-intkey.com {{Taxonbar, from=Q132350 Ericales families