Lacistemataceae family overview
Common name: Waits numi family
LSID: urn:lsid:catalogueoflife.org:taxon:5d17427f-52c2-102c-b3cd-957176fb88b9:ac2009
Two genera:
Lacistema and
Lozania of 11 and 5 species respectively (see species menu for more information).
The current family tree (Author: Dr Mac Alford) is based on Chirtoiu (1918) and Sleumer (1980) is located at Tree of Life web project. I hope to be updating this tree in the future as a result of my research.
Order Author (date) and publication
Ranales Bessey C E (1915) The phylogenetic taxonomy of flowering plants
Piperales Hutchinson J (1926) The families of Flowering Plants I. Dicotyledons
Cistales Gunderson A (1950) Family of dicotyledons
Cistales Takhtajan A (1959) Die evolution der angiospermen
Violales Melchior H (1964) Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien
Violales Cronquist A (1968) The evolution and classification of flowering plants
Violales Dahlgren R M (1975) A system of classification of angiosperms to be used
to demonstrate the distribution of characters Malpighiales APG II (2003) An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification
for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II
Malpighiales Brummitt R K (2007) in Heywood V H, Brummitt R K, Culham A & Seberg O Flowering plant families of the world
But why does Lacistemataceae keep shifting orders?
Confusion has arisen from similarities of morphology especially the "catkin-like" arrangement of inflorescence. However, the problem of shifting orders has been "solved" due to DNA sequence analysis completed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG).
However, it has been brought to my attention (many thanks to Ken Kinman via the Taxacom discussion board) that APG has lumped various previously separate orders into the superorder Malpighiales. APG molecular research is still ongoing within this superorder to sort out the polyphyletic mess.
Typical morphology
Habit: Evergreen trees and shrubs; Height: up to 20 metres; Trunk: tree diameter approximately 30 cm; Bark: light brown; Crown: Twigs: grey in colour, vertical striations;
Inflorescence: emergent from leaf axils. Single or multiple. Catkin-like (Lacistema) or spiciform raceme (Lozania); Flower: insignificant (circa 1 mm), green to white coloured, bisexual. Sessile (Lacistema) or pedicel (Lozania) on the peduncle; Sepals: (1-)2-6 Petals: 0; Ovary: superior sitting within disc, parietal placentation; Stigma: 2 or 3 Stamen: one thick forked with connective between the two anthers; Fruit: red-maroon-brown,
orange in colour,
fleshy coat (aril or sarcotesta?). When dried split into three valves; Seed: 1-3, white
Distribution
West Indies and the Americas from Mexico across Mesoamerica into South America excluding Chile and the majority of Argentina.
Distribution map. Please note that this is a work in progress. The map shows 1431 georeferenced herbarium specimen records (as of 10 February 2010) so it may take a while to upload!
There are another 2103 records on LHD to be added and a further 1000 records to be added to LHD, so watch this space!
Please note that this map is more complete than Lacistemataceae map available from GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) as it includes records from Brazilian herbaria whereas the GBIF map does not.
Habitat
Mountain, dry and moist forests; wet lowland forests; Cerrado (grassland);
Primary and secondary forests;
Forest canopy strata: C/D vegetation layers.
