Commelinaceae

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Commelinaceae
Aneilema aequinoctiale.jpg
Aneilema aequinoctiale
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Mirb. [1]
Genera

see List of Commelinaceae genera

Commelinaceae is a family of flowering plants. In less formal contexts, the group is referred to as the dayflower family or spiderwort family. It is one of five families in the order Commelinales and by far the largest of these with about 731 known species in 41 genera. [2] Well known genera include Commelina (dayflowers) and Tradescantia (spiderworts). The family is diverse in both the Old World tropics and the New World tropics, with some genera present in both. [3] The variation in morphology, especially that of the flower and inflorescence, is considered to be exceptionally high amongst the angiosperms. [4] [5]

Contents

The family has always been recognized by most taxonomists. The APG III system of 2009 (unchanged from the APG system of 1998), also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Commelinales in the clade commelinids in the monocots. The family counts several hundred species of herbaceous plants. Many are cultivated as ornamentals. The stems of these plants are generally well-developed, and often swollen at the nodes. Flowers are often short-lived, lasting for a day or less.

The flowers of Commelinaceae are ephemeral, lack nectar, and offer only pollen as a reward to their pollinators. Most species are hermaphroditic, meaning each flower contains male and female organs, or andromonoecious, meaning that both bisexual and male flowers occur on the same plant. Floral dimorphism may be accompanied by variable pedicel length, filament length and/or curvature, or stamen number and/or position. Species tend to have specific flowering seasons, though local environmental factors tend to effect exact timing, sometimes considerably. Species tend to flower at a specific time of day as well, with these periods being well defined enough to presumably isolate different species reproductively. Furthermore, some species exhibit differential opening times for male and bisexual flowers. Commelinaceae flowers tend to deceive pollinators by appearing to offer a larger reward than is actually present. This is accomplished with various adaptations such as yellow hairs or broad anther connectives that mimic pollen, or staminodes that lack pollen but appear like fertile stamens. [6]

Description

The distinctive leaf sheath common to all Commelinaceae Commelina benghalensis W IMG 1553.jpg
The distinctive leaf sheath common to all Commelinaceae
The distinctive involute unfurling of the leaf in most Commelinaceae can be seen in the background; also note the clawed petals, polymorphic stamens, and dimorphic petals in this species Commelina benghalensis W IMG 1549.jpg
The distinctive involute unfurling of the leaf in most Commelinaceae can be seen in the background; also note the clawed petals, polymorphic stamens, and dimorphic petals in this species

Plants in the Commelinaceae are usually perennials, but a smaller number of species are annuals. They are always terrestrial except for plants in the genus Cochliostema , which are epiphytes. Plants typically have an erect or scrambling but ascending habit, often spreading by rooting at the nodes or by stolons. Some have rhizomes, and the genera Streptolirion , Aetheolirion , and some species of Spatholirion are climbers. The roots are either fibrous or form tubers. [7]

Leaves form sheaths at their bases that surround the stem, much like the leaves of grasses, except that the sheaths are closed and do not have a ligule. The leaves alternate up the stem and may be two-ranked or spirally arranged. The leaf blades are simple and entire (that is, they lack any teeth or lobes), they sometimes narrow at the base, and they are often succulent. The way in which the leaves typically unfurl from bud is a distinctive feature of the family: it is termed involute, and means that the margins at the leaf base are rolled in when they first emerge. However, some groups are supervolute or convolute. [7]

The inflorescences occur either as a terminal shoot at the top of the plant, or as terminal and axillary shoots arising from lower nodes, or rarely as only axillary shoots that pierce through the leaf sheath such as in Coleotrype and Amischotolype . The inflorescence is classed as a thyrse, and each subunit is made up of cincinni; this basically means that flowers are grouped in scorpion's tail-like clusters along a central axis, although this basic ground plan can become highly modified or reduced. Inflorescences or their subunit are sometimes enclosed in a leaf-like bract often called a spathe. [7]

Flowers can have either one or many planes of symmetry; that is either zygomorphic or actinomorphic. They remain open for only a few hours after opening, after which they deliquesce. The flowers are usually all bisexual (hermaphrodite), but some species have both male and bisexual flowers (andromonoecious), the single species Callisia repens has bisexual and female flowers (gynomonoecious), and some have bisexual, male, and female flowers (polygamomonoecious). Nectaries are not found in any species within the family. There are always three sepals, although they may be equal or unequal, unfused or basally fused, petal-like or green. Likewise, there are always three petals, but these may be equal or in two forms, free or basally fused, white or coloured. The petals are sometimes clawed, meaning they narrow to stalk at the base where they attach to the rest of the flower. There are almost always six stamens in two whorls, but these occur in a myriad of arrangements and forms. They may be all fertile and equal or unequal, but in many genera two to four are staminodes (i.e. infertile, non-pollen producing stamens). Staminodes can alternate with the fertile stamens or they can all occur in the upper or lower hemisphere of the flower. The stalks of the stamens are bearded in many genera, although in some of these only some are bearded while others are hairless. Sometimes one to three stamens are absent altogether. Pollen is usually released from slits that open on the sides of the anthers from top to bottom, but some species have pores that open at the tips. [7]

Phylogeny

The Commelinaceae is a well supported monophyletic group according to the analysis of Burns et al. (2011). [8] The following is a phylogeny, or evolutionary tree, of most of the genera in Commelinaceae based on DNA sequences from the plastid gene rbcL [9]

Family Commelinaceae

All clades shown have 80% bootstrap support or better.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commelinales</span> Order of flowering plants

Commelinales is an order of flowering plants. It comprises five families: Commelinaceae, Haemodoraceae, Hanguanaceae, Philydraceae, and Pontederiaceae. All the families combined contain over 885 species in about 70 genera; the majority of species are in the Commelinaceae. Plants in the order share a number of synapomorphies that tie them together, such as a lack of mycorrhizal associations and tapetal raphides. Estimates differ as to when the Commelinales evolved, but most suggest an origin and diversification sometime during the mid- to late Cretaceous. Depending on the methods used, studies suggest a range of origin between 123 and 73 million years, with diversification occurring within the group 110 to 66 million years ago. The order's closest relatives are in the Zingiberales, which includes ginger, bananas, cardamom, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zingiberales</span> Order of flowering plants

The Zingiberales are flowering plants forming one of four orders in the commelinids clade of monocots, together with its sister order, Commelinales. The order includes 68 genera and 2,600 species. Zingiberales are a unique though morphologically diverse order that has been widely recognised as such over a long period of time. They are usually large herbaceous plants with rhizomatous root systems and lacking an aerial stem except when flowering. Flowers are usually large and showy, and the stamens are often modified (staminodes) to also form colourful petal-like structures that attract pollinators.

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

The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe. Also known as the arum family, members are often colloquially known as aroids. This family of 114 genera and about 3,750 known species is most diverse in the New World tropics, although also distributed in the Old World tropics and northern temperate regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brodiaeoideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

Brodiaeoideae are a monocot subfamily of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. They have been treated as a separate family, Themidaceae. They are native to Central America and western North America, from British Columbia to Guatemala. The name of the subfamily is based on the type genus Brodiaea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marantaceae</span> Family of flowering plants in the Commelinid order Zingiberales

The Marantaceae are a family, the arrowroot family, of flowering plants consisting of 31 genera and around 530 species, defining it as one of the most species-rich families in its order. Species of this family are found in lowland tropical forests of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The majority (80%) of the species are found in the American tropics, followed by Asian (11%) and African (9%) tropics. They are commonly called the prayer-plant family and are also known for their unique secondary pollination presentation.

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

Commelina is a genus of approximately 170 species commonly called dayflowers due to the short lives of their flowers. They are less often known as widow's tears. It is by far the largest genus of its family, Commelinaceae. The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus of the 18th century named the genus after the two Dutch botanists Jan Commelijn and his nephew Caspar, each representing one of the showy petals of Commelina communis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontederiaceae</span> Family of aquatic plants

Pontederiaceae is a family of flowering plants.

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

Costaceae, known as the Costus family or spiral gingers, is a family of pantropical monocots. It belongs to the order Zingiberales, which contains horticulturally and economically important plants such as the banana (Musaceae), bird-of-paradise (Strelitziaceae), and edible ginger (Zingiberaceae). The seven genera in Costaceae together contain about 143 known species. They are native to tropical climates of Asia, Africa, Central America, and South America. Several species are frequently found in cultivation.

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

Sabiaceae is a family of flowering plants that were placed in the order Proteales according to the APG IV system. It comprises three genera, Meliosma, Ophiocaryon and Sabia, with 66 known species, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of southern Asia and the Americas. The family has also been called Meliosmaceae Endl., 1841, nom. rej.

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

Chloranthaceae is a family of flowering plants (angiosperms), the only family in the order Chloranthales. It is not closely related to any other family of flowering plants, and is among the early-diverging lineages in the angiosperms. They are woody or weakly woody plants occurring in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Madagascar, Central and South America, and the West Indies. The family consists of four extant genera, totalling about 77 known species according to Christenhusz and Byng in 2016. Some species are used in traditional medicine. The type genus is Chloranthus. The fossil record of the family, mostly represented by pollen such as Clavatipollenites, extends back to the dawn of the history of flowering plants in the Early Cretaceous, and has been found on all continents.

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

Eupomatia is a genus of three species of plants in the ancient family Eupomatiaceae, and is the sole genus in the family. Eupomatiaceae is recognised by most taxonomists and classified in the plant order Magnoliales. The three described species are shrubs or small trees, native to the rainforests and humid eucalypt forests of eastern Australia and New Guinea. The type species Eupomatia laurina was described in 1814 by Robert Brown.

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

Asteliaceae is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.

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

The Cleomaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, comprising about 220 species in two genera, Cleome and Cleomella. These genera were previously included in the family Capparaceae, but were raised to a distinct family when DNA evidence suggested the genera included in it are more closely related to the Brassicaceae than they are to the Capparaceae. The APG II system allows for Cleomaceae to be included in Brassicaceae. Cleomaceae includes C3, C3–C4, and C4 photosynthesis species.

<i>Commelina benghalensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Commelina benghalensis, commonly known as the Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort, or wandering Jew, kanshira in Bengali, is a perennial herb native to tropical Asia and Africa. It has been widely introduced to areas outside its native range, including to the neotropics, Hawaii, the West Indies and to both coasts of North America. It has a long flowering period, from spring to fall in subtropical areas, and throughout the year closer to the equator. It is often associated with disturbed soils.

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

Geogenanthus is a genus of plants with 3 species in the family Commelinaceae. The genus is distributed from Colombia to Amazonian Peru and Brazil. Two of its species are occasionally found in the horticultural trade as house plants.

<i>Geogenanthus poeppigii</i> Species of flowering plant

Geogenanthus poeppigii, commonly called the seersucker plant, is a flowering plant species in the family Commelinaceae. As currently circumscribed, the genus Geogenanthus includes two other species, G. ciliatus and G. rhizanthus. This species is named after 19th century German naturalist Eduard Friedrich Poeppig. Geogenanthus undatus is an outdated synonym for G. poeppigii.

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

Cartonema is a genus of perennial or annual monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family. It is restricted to Australia and nearby Trangan Island, which is part of Indonesia. It is the earliest diverging member of its family and has a number of traits that are unique within it, such as non-succulent leaves and a lack of raphides. Its distinctive features led to the genus to once be considered part of its own separate family, Cartonemataceae. However, analysis of DNA sequences, as well as many common anatomical characters, has supported its relationship with the Commelinaceae. It contains about 11 species.

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

Buforrestia is a genus of perennial monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family. The genus contains three known species, with two found in West and Central Africa and one in northeastern South America.

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

Coleotrype is a genus of perennial monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family. It is found in Africa and Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commelineae</span> Tribe of flowering plants

Commelineae is a tribe of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family (Commelinaceae). The tribe consists of 13 genera and about 350 species. It is one of two tribes in the subfamily Commelinoideae, the other being the Tradescantieae, which is made up of 26 genera and about 300 species. The remaining two genera in the family are in a separate subfamily, the Cartonematoideae.

References

  1. ↑ 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 . hdl: 10654/18083 .
  2. ↑ 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 .
  3. ↑ Faden, Robert B. (1983), "Phytogeography of African Commelinaceae", Bothalia, 4 (3/4): 553–557, doi: 10.4102/abc.v14i3/4.1207
  4. ↑ Brenan, J.P.M. (1966), "The classification of Commelinaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 59 (380): 349–370, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1966.tb00068.x
  5. ↑ Evans, Timothy M.; Faden, Robert B.; Systma, K.J. (2000), "Homoplasy in the Commelinaceae: comparison of different classes of morphological characters", in Wilson, K.L.; Morrison, D.A. (eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Comparative Biology of the Monocots, Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 547–556
  6. ↑ Faden, Robert B. (2000), "Floral Biology of Commelinaceae", in Wilson, K.L.; Morrison, D.A. (eds.), Monocots: Systematics and Evolution, Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 309–318
  7. 1 2 3 4 Faden, Robert B. (1998), Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants (PDF), vol. 4, Berlin: Springer, pp. 109–128, ISBN   3-540-64061-4
  8. ↑ Burns, Jean H.; Faden, Robert B.; Steppan, Scott J. (2011). "Phylogenetic Studies in the Commelinaceae Subfamily Commelinoideae Inferred from Nuclear Ribosomal and Chloroplast DNA Sequences". Systematic Botany. 36 (2): 268–276. doi:10.1600/036364411X569471. S2CID   10759303.
  9. ↑ Evans, Timothy M.; Sytsma, Kenneth J.; Faden, Robert B.; Givnish, Thomas J. (2003), "Phylogenetic Relationships in the Commelinaceae: II. A Cladistic Analysis of rbcL Sequences and Morphology", Systematic Botany, 28 (2): 270–292, doi:10.1043/0363-6445-28.2.270 (inactive 2024-09-12), JSTOR   3093996 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2024 (link)
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