Original URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu/PBIO/pb250/magn.html

PBIO 250 Lecture Notes

James L. Reveal

Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland


Selected Families of Angiosperms: Magnoliidae

Note: Information on the families of vascular plants is summarized in Gleason & Cronquist (1991). The arrangement of angiosperm families follows Cronquist (1988) - see elsewhere for an arrangement of families according to Reveal.
The following sites are critical in your review of angiosperm families:
  • PBIO 100 Notes: A basic review of the flowering plants, including information of pollination and fruits and seeds
  • Angiosperms from Encyclopaedia Britannica - be sure to follow the links to the "Next Section"; see also the Table of Contents
  • Flowering Plant Gateway from Texas A&M with critical information and summaries of the classification schemes of Cronquist, Takhtajan and Thorne
  • World Wide Flowering Plant Identification: A polyclave key to plant families
  • Select Flowering Plant Families from Colby College
  • Basic Classification of Fruits by Dianne Wilford
  • Families of Flowering Plants by Watson & Dallwitz
  • Character set for angiosperms used by Watson & Dallwitz
  • Classification of flowering plants by Bremer et al.
  • Index Nominum Supragenericorum Plantarum Vascularium: Listing of scientific vascular plant names above the rank of genus
  • Vascular Plant Family Nomenclature: Information and news on suprageneric nomenclature
  • Cardillo & Samuels site on Magnoliophyta: Use this for a detailed review of the flowering plants.
  • A checklist of the vascular plant families by Robert B. Hole
  • Angiosperms by Michael J. Donoghue
  • Classified glossary from Vascular Plant Taxonomy
  • "Present state of angiospermae phylogeny" by Spichiger & Savolainen (1997) - a good summary review

  • NOTE: Use the CD-ROM from your text book to examine images of the plants families that will be discussed in this class.

    * If any of the above is still vague or uncertain, review the PBIO 100 notes on flowers and the notes associated with Linda Berg's book (on-campus access only); see especially the notes on flower structure from Eastern Connecticut State University.

    [Note: The following summary, based on Cronquist's view of the flowering plants, applies to the majority of representatives of the family with the exceptions generally not noted.]
    For a synopsis of the major groups of angiosperms (classes, subclasses and orders), see the Diagnostic Classification section from Encyclopaedia Brittanica and the summation of the Cronquist, Dahlgren, Reveal, Takhtajan and Thorne systems.

    MAGNOLIOPHYTA Cronquist, Takht. & Zimmerm. ex Reveal, 1996 - see Cronquist's "phylogenetic tree"

    I. MAGNOLIOPSIDA Brongn., 1843

    MAGNOLIIDAE Novák ex Takht., 1967: 8 orders, 39 families and 12,000 species. Uniaperturate pollen, apocarpous gynoecium and numerous stamens in a centripetal sequence. Petals are free. Some with vesselless wood, laminar stamens and more than two cotyledons. Many have volatile oils. For more information on angiosperm structure see Encyclopaedia Brittanica for detailed information.- Summary from the University of Wisconsin. More information, in German, from the University of Hamburg with discussions on each of the orders and some illustrations as well as diagnostic characters and information from the University of Lethbridge. The long-lost genus Takhtajania was recently rediscovered in Madagascar

    Magnoliales Bromhead, 1838

    Magnoliaceae Juss., 1789: Trees or shrubs with large actinomorphic flowers bearing numerous stamens and carpels. CA3 CO6-many A-many GS-many. 7 genera, 165 species. Widespread in tropical and warm temperate, especially North America and southeastern Asia. Magnolioideae (Juss.) Arn. is distinguished from Liriodendoideae by fruit features. Many cultivated Liriodendron, Magnolia and Mitchelia. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopses from University of Hawaii and Utah State. See also Cardillo & Samuels.

    Laurales Perleb, 1826

    Lauraceae Juss., 1789: Trees or shrubs with small undifferentiated flowers bearing 3-merous stamens and a single carpel. CA6 CO0 A3+3+3+3 GS1. 52 genera, 2850 species. Widespread tropical and warm temperate, especially southeast Asia and Brazil. Aromatic with anthers opening by valves. Lauroideae Burnett and Cassythoideae Burnett, the latter a twining parasitic herb. Spices and flavoring (Cinnamomum - camphor, cinnamon), Laurus, Sassafras; some medicinals, many used for timber. Avocado is Persea americana. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopsis from the University of Hawaii.

    Piperales Dumort., 1829

    Piperaceae C. Agardh, 1824: Aromatic herbs or subshrubs to shrubs or small trees with tiny flowers in dense, fleshy spikes. CA0 CO0 A(1) 3+3(10) or 2 GS1. 8 genera, 2200-3000 species. Pantropical. Piperoideae Arn.: a woody taxon of terrestrial habit, 1-10 stamens, 2-locular anthers, 2-6 carpelled and bitegmic ovules. Peperomioideae (Miq.) Miq.: herbs and often epiphytic, 2 stamens, 1-locular anthers, unicarpellate and unitegmic ovules. Black peper comes from Piper nigrum; several species of Peperomia are ornamentals. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopsis from the University of Hawaii and Utah State.

    Nymphaeales Dumort., 1829

    Nymphaeaceae Salisb., 1805: Aquatic herbs with peltate leaves and long-peduncled flowers bearing numerous parts. CA3-many CO3-many A-many GS-many. 5 genera, 70 species. Widespread. Many monocotyledonous features; widely cultivated. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopses from the University of Hawaii and Utah State. The family Barclayaceae (Endl.) H.L. Li, accepted by Cronquist, is occasionally considered a synonym of Nymphaeaceae. When included, then the family is divided into three subfamilies, Nymphaeoideae (DC.) Arn., Euryaloideae and Barclayoideae Weberb. The traditional association of the lotus family, Nelumbonaceae (DC.) Dumort., with the waterlily family, Nymphaeaceae, or even with Nymphaeales, as maintained by Cronquist, is wholly without support.

    Ranunculales Dumort., 1829

    Ranunculaceae Juss., 1789: Herbs with bisexual flowers of numerous spirally arranged parts. CA3-many CO5-many A-many GS3-many. 52 genera, 2000 species. Cosmopolitan but mainly temperate and boreal. Many cultivated and some medicinal species although some poisonous. Some species of Ranunculus are weedy. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz - see also Glaucidiaceae and Hydrastidaceae; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopses from the University of Hawaii and Utah State. See also Cardillo & Samuels. In the strict sense (excluding Glaucidaceae, Hydrastiaceae and Kingdoniaceae), the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, may be divided into five subfamilies: Trollioideae Raf. (including Aconitoideae Raf., Calthoideae Raf., Cimicifugoideae Arn. and Delphinioideae Th. Fr.), Helleboroideae Raf. (restricted to Helloborus), Ranunculoideae Arn., Isopyroideae and Thalictroideae Raf. (fide Takhtajan, 1997)

    Berberidaceae Juss., 1789: Herbs or shrubs with biseriate stamens opposite the petals and anthers dehiscing by flaps. CA3+3 CO3+3 A6 GS1. 15 genera, 350 species. Mainly north temperate regions. Note: Broadly defined by Cronquist. Best to restrict to Berberis and Mahonia as suggested by Takhtajan (1997) with Podophyllaceae DC. (Podophylloideae Eaton: Podophyllum, Diphylleium and Dysosma; Leonticoideae: Caulophyllum, Gymnospermium and Leontice; and Epimedioideae: including for example Achlys, Bongardia, Epimedium, Jeffersonia and Vancouveria), Nandinaceae Horan. (Nandina), Ranzaniaceae Takht. (Ranzania) and Hydrastidaceae (Hydrastis) all removed from Cronquist's defintion of Berbaridaceae. A second option, which I prefer, is to divide Taktajan's Podophyllaceae into three families: Podophyllaceae, Leonticaceae and Epimediaceae Menge. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopses from the University of Hawaii and Utah State.

    Papaverales Dumort., 1829

    Papaveraceae Juss., 1789: Herbs with milky or colored sap, bisexual flowers with deciduous sepals and numerous stamens in several whorls. CA2-3 CO4-many A-many GS2-many. 25 genera, 200 species. Mainly north temperate regions. Many cultivated and medicinal plants, especially Papaver somniferum (opium). Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopses from the University of Hawaii and Utah State. As defined by Cronquist, the Fumaroideae Eaton is excluded, but otherwise I divided the poppy family into four subfamilies: Chelidonioideae, Eschscholzioideae Leurss., Platystemonoideae Leurss. and Papaveroideae Eaton. Curtis Clark has a site devoted to Eschscholzia and their relatives.

    Fumariaceae DC., 1821: Herbs with watery sap, generally dissected leaves and zygomorphic flowers with deciduous sepals, paired petals and a compound ovary. CA2 COz2+2 A6 GS(2). 17 genera, 400 species. Mainly north temperate regions. Some cultivate, several weedy (Corydalis). As defined by Cronquist, the Fumariaceae includes two distinct families even when the taxon is included in Papaveraceae, namely Hypecoaceae (Dumort.) Willk. & Lange (Hypecoum) and Pteridophyllaceae (Murb.) Nakai ex Reveal & Hoogland (Pteridophyllum). Both differ in having regular flowers and 4 stamens. The Fumarioideae have irregular flowers and 6 stamens. As noted above, the Fumariaceae should be included in the Papaveraceae. Full description from Watson & Dallwitz; family synonymy from Reveal; list of genera from Kew; family synopses from the University of Hawaii and Utah State.

    Last revised: 23 Jan 1999
    Next Series of Lecture Notes:
    Selected Families of Angiosperms: Hamalelididae
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