Caryophyllaceae

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Carnation family
Red campion close 700.jpg
Silene dioica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Juss. [1]
Genera

Many, see text

Synonyms

Telephieae D.C. [2]

Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae. [1] It is a large family, with 81 genera and about 2,625 known species. [3]

Contents

This cosmopolitan family of mostly herbaceous plants is best represented in temperate climates, with a few species growing on tropical mountains. Some of the more commonly known members include pinks and carnations ( Dianthus ), and firepink and campions ( Silene ). Many species are grown as ornamental plants, and some species are widespread weeds. Most species grow in the Mediterranean and bordering regions of Europe and Asia. The number of genera and species in the Southern Hemisphere is rather small, although the family does contain Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis), the world's southernmost dicot, which is one of only two flowering plants found in Antarctica. [4]

The name comes from Caryophyllus, an obsolete synonym of Dianthus . [5]

Description

Despite its size and the somewhat doubtful mutual relationships, this family is rather uniform and easily recognizable.

Most are herbaceous annuals or perennials, dying off above ground each year. A few species are shrubs or small trees, such as some Acanthophyllum species. [6] Most plants are non-succulent; i.e. having no fleshy stems or leaves. The nodes on the stem are swollen. The leaves are almost always opposite, [7] rarely whorled. The blades are entire, petiolate, and often stipulate. These stipules are not sheath-forming.

The bisexual flowers are terminal, blooming singly or branched or forked in cymes. The inflorescence is usually dichasial at least in the lower parts, which means that in the axil of each peduncle (primary flower stalk) of the terminal flower in the cyme, two new single-flower branches sprout up on each side of and below the first flower. [6] If the terminal flowers are absent, then this can lead to monochasia, i.e. a monoparous cyme with a single flower on each axis of the inflorescence. In the extreme, this leads to a single flower, such as in Githago or Arenaria . [6] The flowers are regular and mostly with five petals and five sepals, but sometimes with four petals. [7] The sepals may be free from one another or united. The petals may be entire, fringed or deeply cleft. The calyx may be cylindrically inflated, as in Silene. The stamens number five or 10 (or more rarely four or eight), [7] and are mostly isomerous with the perianth. The superior gynoecium has two to five carpels (members of a compound pistil) and is syncarpous; i.e. with these carpels united in a compound ovary. This ovary has one chamber inside the ovary. The fruit may be a utricle with a single seed or a capsule containing several seeds. [7]

Systematics

The "maiden pink", Dianthus deltoides, belongs to the core group of Silenoideae. Dianthus deltoides.jpeg
The "maiden pink", Dianthus deltoides , belongs to the core group of Silenoideae.
Minuartia gerardii belongs to a clade traditionally included in the Alsinoideae. Minuartia gerardii.jpg
Minuartia gerardii belongs to a clade traditionally included in the Alsinoideae.
Paronychia argentea from the primitive Paronychioideae assemblage Paronychia argentea.jpg
Paronychia argentea from the primitive Paronychioideae assemblage
Stellaria ruscifolia is traditionally placed in the Alsinoideae, but may not be a close relative of Minuartia. Stellaria ruscifolia 01.jpg
Stellaria ruscifolia is traditionally placed in the Alsinoideae, but may not be a close relative of Minuartia .
Agrostemma gracile.jpg

Currently, Amaranthaceae and Caryophyllaceae are sister groups and considered closely related.

Formerly, Caryophyllaceae were considered the sister family to all of the remaining members of the suborder Caryophyllineae because they have anthocyanins, and not betalain pigments. However, cladistic analyses indicate Caryophyllaceae evolved from ancestors that contained betalain, reinforcing betalain as an accurate synapomorphy of the suborder. [8]

This family is traditionally divided in three subfamilies:

The last, however, are a basal grade of rather primitive members of this family, not closely related, but simply retaining many plesiomorphic traits. Instead of a subfamily, most ought to be treated as genera incertae sedis , but Corrigiola and Telephium might warrant recognition as Corrigioleae. The Alsinoideae, on the other hand, seem to form two distinct clades, perhaps less some misplaced genera. Finally, the Silenoideae appear monophyletic at least for the most part, if some of the taxa misplaced in Alsinoideae are moved there; it may be that the name Caryophylloideae would apply for the revised delimitation. [9]

However, hybridization between many members of this family is rampant—particularly in the Silenoideae/Caryophylloideae—and some of the lineages of descent have been found to be highly complicated and do not readily yield to cladistic analysis. [10]

Genera

102 genera are accepted. [11]

Unplaced

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amaranthaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus Amaranthus. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it the most species-rich lineage within its parent order, Caryophyllales.

<i>Stellaria</i> Genus of flowering plants in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include starwort, stitchwort and chickweed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentianaceae</span> Family of flowering plants comprising gentians

Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 103 genera and about 1600 species.

There are over 190 vascular plant species on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. This figure does not include algae, mosses, and lichens, which are non-vascular plants. For an island so far north, this number of species constitutes an astonishing variety of plant life. Because of the harsh climate and the short growing season, all the plants are slow growing. They seldom grow higher than 10 cm (4 in)

<i>Cerastium</i> Genus of flowering plants in the pink family Caryophyllaceae

Cerastium is a genus of annual, winter annual, or perennial flowering plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They are commonly called mouse-ears or mouse-ear chickweeds. There are 214 accepted species, found nearly worldwide but with the greatest concentration in the northern temperate regions. A number of the species are common weeds in fields and on disturbed ground.

<i>Arenaria</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the pink family Caryophyllaceae

Arenaria is a genus of flowering plants, within the family Caryophyllaceae.

<i>Minuartia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Minuartia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as sandworts in the family Caryophyllaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elatinaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Elatinaceae is a family of flowering plants with ca 35 species in two genera: Elatine and Bergia. The Elatine are mostly aquatic herbs, and the Bergia are subshrubs to shrubs. Elatine species are widely distributed throughout the world from temperate to tropical zones, with its greatest diversity found in temperate zones. Bergia is found in temperate to tropical Eurasia and Africa, with two tropical and one tropical to temperate species in the Americas. The center for biodiversity of Bergia is the Old World tropics, and this is also the center for biodiversity for the family. Neither genus is found in arctic ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molluginaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Molluginaceae are a family of flowering plants recognized by several taxonomists. It was previously included in the larger family Aizoaceae. The APG III system of 2009 made no change in the status of the family as compared to the APG II system of 2003 and the APG system of 1998, apart from a reassignment of several genera, such as the placement of Corrigiola and Telephium into Caryophyllaceae, Corbichonia in Lophiocarpaceae, Microtea into Microteaceae and Limeum in Limeaceae, because the family was found to be widely polyphyletic in Caryophyllales. In addition Macarthuria was found not to be related to Limeum as previously thought and thus it was placed in Macarthuriaceae, and similarly species formerly placed in Hypertelis, apart from type species Hypertelis spergulacea, a true Molluginaceae, were found to belong elsewhere and were described as Kewa in the family Kewaceae, named for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Molluginaceae is still assigned to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots, although the generic circumscription is difficult because Mollugo is not monophyletic.

<i>Sagina</i> Genus of flowering plants

Sagina is a genus of 20–30 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. These are flowering herbs native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere extending south to tropical mountain areas at high altitudes, reaching just south of the equator in Africa. They are small annual or perennial herbaceous plants, growing to 5–15 cm. The leaves are opposite, often in tight whorl-like clusters, simple linear, typically 5–20 mm long. The flowers are solitary or in small cymes, with four or five green sepals and an equal number of white petals; the petal size relative to the sepal size is useful in species identification. The fruit is a small capsule containing several seeds.

<i>Silene oregana</i> Species of flowering plant

Silene oregana is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names Oregon silene, Oregon campion and Oregon catchfly. It is native to the western United States, including the Great Basin, where it grows in habitat such as sagebrush and forests. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and taproot, sending up an erect, mostly unbranched stem which may be 70 centimeters tall. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 8 centimeters long around the caudex, and shorter farther up the stem. Flowers occur in a terminal cyme and sometimes in leaf axils. Each flower is encapsulated in a hairy, glandular calyx of fused sepals. The five petals are creamy white or pink-tinged in color and each has four to six long, fringelike lobes at the tip.

<i>Arenaria norvegica</i> Species of flowering plant

Arenaria norvegica, also known as Arctic, English or Norwegian sandwort, is a low growing plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, found in northwest Europe. The diploid chromosome number is 2n=80. There are two recognised subspecies.

<i>Silene conica</i> Species of flowering plant

Silene conica is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names striped corn catchfly and sand catchfly. It grows in dunes and sandy soils and is widespread in Europe and western Asia. It has an annual life history and produces self-compatible hermaphroditic flowers and occasional male-sterile flowers. Like other members of Silene section Conoimorpha, S. conica is readily recognizable based on its bright pink petals and the prominent, parallel veins on its calyx. In contrast to most flowering plants, S. conica appears to have a very rapid rate of mitochondrial mutation, and has the largest mitochondrial genome ever identified.

<i>Facchinia</i> Genus of Caryophyllaceae plants

Facchinia is a genus of flowering plants in the pink and carnation family Caryophyllaceae, native to the Pyrenees and the Alps. Many species in this genus were previously placed in Minuartia.

<i>Eremogone</i> Genus of Caryophyllaceae plants

Eremogone is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to western North America, northern Asia, eastern Europe and northeastern Africa. Attempts to resolve taxonomic relationships within the Caryophyllaceae have resulted in the enlargement of Eremogone with species from other genera.

<i>Eudianthe</i> Genus of Caryophyllaceae plants

Eudianthe is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, found in the Canary Islands and the western Mediterranean. It can be distinguished from other members of the tribe Sileneae by its linear to narrowly lanceolate leaves and its pink flowers.

<i>Mononeuria</i> Genus of plants

Mononeuria is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae.

<i>Sabulina</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Sabulina is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. It includes 74 species native to temperate and subtropical North America, Eurasia, and North Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society . 161 (2): 105–121. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x .
  2. ↑ Reveal 2012.
  3. ↑ Christenhusz, M. J. M. & Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3). Magnolia Press: 201–217. doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 .
  4. ↑ E. D. Rudolph (1965). "Antarctic lichens and vascular plants: their significance". BioScience. 15 (4): 285–287. doi:10.2307/1293425. JSTOR   1293425.
  5. ↑ Caryophyllus in the Germplasm Resources Information Network.
  6. 1 2 3 A. V. S. S. Sambamurty (2005). "Caryophyllaceae (pink family)". Taxonomy of Angiosperms. I. K. International. pp. 270–279. ISBN   978-81-88237-16-6.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Robert H. Mohlenbrock (2001). "Caryophyllaceae – pink family". Flowering Plants: Pokeweeds, Four-o'clocks, Carpetweeds, Cacti, Purslanes, Goosefoots, Pigweeds, and Pinks. The illustrated flora of Illinois. SIU Press. pp. 146–255. ISBN   978-0-8093-2380-7.
  8. ↑ Walter S. Judd; Christopher S. Campbell; Elizabeth A. Kellogg; Peter F. Stevens; Michael J. Donoghue (2008). Plant Systematics: a Phylogenetic Approach (3rd ed.). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates. ISBN   978-0-87893-407-2.
  9. ↑ P. F. Stevens (9 June 2008). "Caryophyllaceae". Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  10. ↑ Per Erixon; Bengt Oxelman (2008). "Reticulate or tree-like chloroplast DNA evolution in Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae)?". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 48 (1): 313–325. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.04.015. PMID   18490181.
  11. ↑ Caryophyllaceae Juss. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  12. ↑ "Dadjoua Parsa | COL". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
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