The Balanophoraceae are a
subtropical to
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
family of
obligate parasitic flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s, notable for their unusual development and formerly obscure affinities. In the broadest
circumscription, the family consists of 16 genera. Alternatively, three genera may be split off into the segregate family Mystropetalaceae.
The plants are normally found growing on tree roots in moist inland forests and have an above ground
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
with the overall appearance of a fungus, composed of numerous minute flowers. The inflorescences develop inside the tuberous underground part of the plant, before rupturing it and surfacing. The plants are monoecious or dioecious, and the fruits are indehiscent drupes or nuts. The underground portion, which attaches itself to the host, looks like a tuber, and is not a proper root system. The plants contain no
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...
. ''Balanophora'' means "bearing an acorn" (from the shape of the female inflorescence).
Taxonomy
In the classification system of
Dahlgren, the Balanophoraceae were placed in the order Balanophorales in the
superorder Balanophoriflorae (also called Balanophoranae). The
APG IV system of 2016 (unchanged from the
APG III system of 2009
[), also recognizes this family, including it in the order Santalales,][ where it was also placed by the Cronquist system (1981).
A 2015 molecular phylogenetic suggested that as circumscribed in the APG IV system, Balanophoraceae is not monophyletic. The authors of the study proposed dividing Balanophoraceae '' s.l.'' into Balanophoraceae '' s.s.'' and the family Mystropetalaceae, containing three monotypic genera, '' Dactylanthus'', '' Hachettea'' and '' Mystropetalon''. The cladogram below shows the relationships obtained (using the broad APG IV circumscriptions of Olacaceae and Santalaceae).][
]
Genera
, the broadly circumscribed family was accepted by Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
, which included the following genera.[ Other sources place three of the genera in the segregate family Mystropetalaceae.][
* '' Balanophora''
* '' Chlamydophytum''
* '' Corynaea''
* '' Dactylanthus'' ystropetalaceae* '' Ditepalanthus''
* '' Hachettea'' ystropetalaceae* '' Helosis''
* '' Langsdorffia''
* '' Lathrophytum''
* '' Lophophytum''
* '' Mystropetalon'' ystropetalaceae* '' Ombrophytum''
* '' Rhopalocnemis''
* '']Sarcophyte
''Sarcophyte'' is a genus of flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; ' ...
''
* '' Scybalium''
* '' Thonningia''
References
External links
*
*
Balanophoraceae at Parasitic plants
{{Authority control
Eudicot families