Olacaceae is 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 in the order Santalales. They are woody plants, native throughout the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

regions of the world. , the circumscription of the family varies; some sources maintain a broad family, others split it into seven segregate families.

Taxonomy

The 1998 APG system and the 2003 APG II system assign it to the order Santalales in the clade core eudicots. Prior to the advent of molecular data, the circumscription of the family Olacaceae varied widely between different authorities.Valéry Malécot and Daniel L. Nickrent. 2008. "Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships of Olacaceae and Related Santalales". ''Systematic Botany'' 33(1):97-106. Among these various classifications, about 30 genera were included in the family. 15 genera are recognized for Olacaceae by the Germplasm Resources Information Network. The phylogenetic investigation published in 2008 recovered seven clades that were well-supported by molecular and morphological characters, but no formal taxonomic reorganization of the family was proposed. For this reason, Olacaceae in the broad sense was adopted by the APG III-system. The formal reconfiguration of this family (as well as the rest of the order Santalales) was published by Nickrent and co-workers in 2010 and this concept is shown below. Olacaceae in the broad sense was split into seven families, and the genus ''

Schoepfia ''Schoepfia'' is a genus of small hemiparasitic trees, flowering plants belonging to the family Schoepfiaceae. The genus has long been placed in the Olacaceae family. Description Plants in this genus are small trees or shrubs which exhibit h ...

'' was placed with ''Arjona'' and ''Quinchamalium'' (both previously Santalaceae) in the family Schoepfiaceae.

Genera

;Olacaceae ''sensu stricto'' *'' Dulacia'' - 13 species of South America *''

Olax ''Olax'' is a plant genus in the family Olacaceae. The name derives from the Latin, ''olax'' (malodorous), and refers to the unpleasant scent of some of the ''Olax'' species. ''Olax'' is an Old World genus represented by several climbers, som ...

'' - ca 40 species of the Old World tropics *'' Ptychopetalum'' - 2 species of tropical South America and 2 species of western and central Africa ;Aptandraceae *''

Anacolosa ''Anacolosa'' is a plant genus of 15 to 22 species. In the APG IV system, the genus is placed in the family Olacaceae. Other sources place it in the segregate family Aptandraceae. The generic name is from the Greek ''anakolos'', meaning "knotted" ...

'' - 16 species of the Old World tropics *''

Aptandra ''Aptandra'' is a genus of flowering plants. In the APG IV system, the genus is placed in the family Olacaceae. Other sources place it in the segregate family Aptandraceae. Its native range is Southern Tropical America, Western Tropical Africa ...

'' - 3 species in tropical America and 1 species in Africa *''

Cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

'' - 5 species of South America *'' Chaunochiton'' - 3 species of tropical America *'' Harmandia'' - one species in southeastern Asia *''

Hondurodendron ''Hondurodendron'' is a monotypic genus of tree endemic to Honduras. The only species in the genus, ''H. urceolatum'', was discovered during 2004 and 2006 botanical surveys of plants in Parque Nacional El Cusuco in northwest Honduras. It was ...

'' - one species in Honduras *''

Ongokea ''Ongokea'' is a genus of flowering plants, with one species ''Ongokea gore'' (Boleko). In the APG IV system, the genus is placed in the family Olacaceae. Other sources place it in the segregate family Aptandraceae The Aptandraceae is a family ...

'' - one species in Africa *'' Phanerodiscus'' - 3 species of Madagascar ;Ximeniaceae *'' Curupira'' - one species in Amazonian Brazil *'' Douradoa'' - one species in Brazil *'' Malania'' - one species in China *'' Ximenia'' - 10 species of the Old and New World tropics ;Coulaceae *'' Coula'' - one species in tropical western Africa *'' Minquartia'' - one species in tropical America *'' Ochanostachys'' - one species in western Malaysia ;Strombosiaceae *'' Diogoa'' - 2 species of tropical Africa *'' Engomegoma'' - one species of tropical Africa *'' Scorodocarpus'' - one species in tropical Asia *''

Strombosia ''Strombosia'' is a plant genus of about 10 species in the family Olacaceae. It has also been classified in the family Strombosiaceae. The generic name is from the Greek ', meaning "pear-shaped", referring to the fruit. Description ''Strombosia'' ...

'' - 3 species of tropical Asia and 6 species of tropical Africa *'' Strombosiopsis'' - 3 species of tropical Africa *'' Tetrastylidium'' - 2 species of South America ;Erythropalaceae Erythropalum scandens 05

*''

Erythropalum ''Erythropalum'' is a monotypic genus containing the species ''Erythropalum scandens''Blume CL (1826) ''Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië'' 15: 922. and currently placed in Erythropalaceae section of the family Olacaceae. Its nati ...

'' - one species of Indomalaysia *''

Heisteria ''Heisteria'' is a genus of plants in the family Olacaceae, although it is sometimes listed under the largely unrecognized family erythropalaceae. It contains the following species (this list may be incomplete): * ''Heisteria acuminata'' * ''Hei ...

'' - ca 33 species of tropical America and 3 species in Africa *''

Maburea ''Maburea'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Olacaceae. The only species is ''Maburea trinervis''. Its native range is Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on t ...

'' - one species in Guyana ;Octoknemaceae *''

Octoknema ''Octoknema'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae Olacaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Santalales. They are woody plants, native throughout the tropical regions of the world. , the circumscription of the fa ...

'' - 14 species of tropical Africa ;Unplaced genus *'' Brachynema'' - morphological cladistic analysis places this genus in

Ericales The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons. Species in this order have considerable commercial importance including for Camellia sinensis, tea, persimmon, blueberry, kiwifruit, Brazil nuts, Argania, argan, and azalea. The order i ...

,Malécot V, Nickrent DL, Baas P, van den Oever L, Lobreau-Callen D (2004) A morphological cladistic analysis of Olacaceae. Syst. Bot. 29(3): 569-586. and no genetic study has yet been published

References

External links

Parasitic Plant Connection: Aptandraceae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q131428 Eudicot families