Lecythidaceae

{{Short description|Family of flowering plants in the order Ericales}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|taxon = Lecythidaceae

|image = CanonBallFlower2222.JPG

|image_caption = Illustration of Couroupita guianensis by Lansdown Guilding

|authority = A.Rich.{{Cite journal |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2009 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages=105–121 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x |doi-access=free |hdl=10654/18083 |hdl-access=free }}

|subdivision_ranks = Genera

|subdivision = See text

}}

Image:Barringtonia acutangula (Freshwater Mangrove) fruits in Kolkata W IMG 8545.jpg (Freshwater Mangrove) fruits in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. ]]

Image:Careya arborea (Wild guava) leaves in Narsapur forest, AP W IMG 0153.jpg in Narsapur, Medak district, India. ]]

The Lecythidaceae ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|l|ɛ|s|ᵻ|θ|ᵻ|'|d|eɪ|ʃ|iː}} {{respell|LESS|ith|ih|DAY|shee}}) comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia.

Well known members of the family include the cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) and the edible Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa).{{R|MORI}}

Taxonomy

According to molecular analysis of Lecythidaceae, including work by Mori et al. (2007),{{Cite journal | last1 = Mori | first1 = S. A. | last2 = Tsou | first2 = C. -H. | last3 = Wu | first3 = C. -C. | last4 = Cronholm | first4 = B. | last5 = Anderberg | first5 = A. A. | title = Evolution of Lecythidaceae with an emphasis on the circumscription of neotropical genera: Information from combined ndhF and trnL-F sequence data | doi = 10.3732/ajb.94.3.289 | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 94 | issue = 3 | pages = 289–301 | year = 2007 | pmid = 21636402| doi-access = free }} subfamilies include:

=Barringtonioidea=

Previously Barringtoniaceae; also sensu Takhtajan 1997;{{cite book| last = Takhtajan| first = A.| title= Diversity and classification of flowering plants| year = 1997| isbn = 0-231-10098-1}} this subfamily was also called Planchonioideae (which included Barringtonia). Genera are restricted to the Old World tropics.

  1. Barringtonia J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (synonym Abdulmajidia Whitmore)
  2. Careya Roxb.
  3. Chydenanthus Miers
  4. Petersianthus Merr.
  5. Planchonia Blume

=Foetidioideae=

Previously Foetidiaceae from Madagascar is monogeneric:

=[[Lecythidoideae]]=

Genera restricted to the New World tropics.

  1. Allantoma Miers
  2. Bertholletia Bonpl.
  3. Cariniana Casar.
  4. Corythophora R.Knuth
  5. Couratari Aubl.
  6. Couroupita Aubl.
  7. Eschweilera Mart. ex DC.
  8. Grias L.
  9. Gustavia L.
  10. Lecythis Loefl.

=[[Scytopetaloideae]]=

The APG II system of 2003 included genera from the family Scytopetalaceae and others

  1. Asteranthos Desf., also as Asteranthaceae
  2. Brazzeia Verc.
  3. Oubanguia Baill.
  4. Pierrina Engl.
  5. Rhaptopetalum Oliv.
  6. Scytopetalum Engl.

=Napoleonaeoideae=

Previously as family Napoleonaeaceae; species are native to Africa.

  1. Crateranthus Baker f., incertae sedis according to Takhtajan,
  2. Napoleonaea P.Beauv.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite journal |title=Evolution of Lecythidaceae with an emphasis on the circumscription of neotropical genera: Information from combined NDHF and TRNL-F sequence data |date=2007 |last1=Mori |first1=Scott A. |last2=Tsou |first2=Chi-Hua |last3=Wu |first3=Chi-Chih |last4=Cronholm |first4=Bodil |last5=Anderberg |first5=Arne A. |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=94 |issue=3 |pages=289–301 |doi=10.3732/ajb.94.3.289 |doi-access=free |pmid=21636402 |bibcode=2007AmJB...94..289M }}

}}