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Synonyms: Canotiaceae Airy Shaw; Capusiaceae Gagnep., nom. inval.; Chingithamnaceae Hand.-Mazz.; Goupiaceae Miers; Hippocrateaceae Juss., nom. cons.; Lophopyxidaceae H. Pfeiff.; Siphonodontaceae Gagnep. & Tardieu, nom. cons.
Common name: Bittersweet Family.
Number of genera 91. Number of species 1300.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or an intact or entire fruit, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple, or schizocarp; drupe, or capsule, or samara (Zinowiewia), or berry; follicarium (Reissontia); loculicidal capsule (Maytenus), or septifragal capsule (Glyptopetalum); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; without persistent central column; not within accessory organ(s); more than 1 but less than 10-seeded, or many-seeded; 2–100-seeded; from 1–5 cm long; 2.2–2.3 cm long; 3-carpellate (2–5); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterile carpels; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent. Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent regularly; actively; without replum. Epicarp red, or pink, or yellow; durable; glabrous (without hairs); without armature; without wing(s), or with wing(s); 5-winged; with wing(s) lateral; without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present, or absent. Endocarp present, or absent; not separating from exocarp; thin, or bony; splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes, or not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; stone unilocular, or plurilocular; stone 1–3-loculate; without wing; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without grooves; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short, or long; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril present, or absent (on winged seeds); a true aril, or an arillike structure; including scarlet red, or orange, or yellow, or white; adnate to testa; fleshy; of funicular origin, or micropylar origin, or outer integument origin; encompassing; fleshy; fimbriate-laciniate, or cupshaped; lobed. Arillike structure falling with seed a caruncle (Corner: arilloid). Seed larger than minute; 1 to less than 5 mm long to 25 to less than 50 mm long; 2–20 mm long; angular, or oblong; in transection compressed, or flattened; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm (seldom none), or perisperm (rarely); without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent, or present (Microtropis); fleshy. Testa present; with fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; shiny; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface papillate; surface rugose, or striate; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrous; without wings, or with wing(s) (winged esp. Hippocratus); without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; blue, or orange, or yellow, or white, or red, or black, or brown (all shades); crustaceous, or membranous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo, or surrounding food reserve. Raphe conspicuous (often longitudinally), or inconspicuous. Endosperm development nuclear; copious; fleshy, or hard (bony or horny), or fleshy-watery; smooth; with oils; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Perisperm opaque. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve); at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; foliate; with investing cotyledons, or spatulate cotyledons; straight, or C-shaped; parallel to seed length, or oblique to seed length; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; often green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; Perrottia 0.1–0.9 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 1.7–10 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle, or partially concealing hypocotyl-radicle; moderately thick, or thin; flat; smooth, or ruminate; with apices entire; with margins connate, or separate; basally entire, or cordate (somewhat cordate); equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed, or small; straight, or curved (slightly); not thickened.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan. New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Minor, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania.
Notes
Including Hippocrateaceae of Cronquist, p.714. Goldberg recognized Celastraceae, Groupiaceae, Hippocrateaceae, & Siphonodonaceae.
Weed information
1 or more USA state noxious weeds.
USA states and territories with listed noxious weeds: Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), North Carolina (NC), Vermont (VT).
USA state and territory noxious weeds: -- Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb.: USA state noxious weed: CT●, MA●, NC●, NH●, VT●. -- Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold: USA state noxious weed: MA●, NH●. -- Symbols: ªaquatic weed; ●terrestrial weed; °weed in seed. -- Last updated September 2008.
Listed seeds
ASOA listed seeds, ISTA listed seeds.
ASOA listed seeds: -- Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. -- Celastrus scandens L. -- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Euonymus europaeus L.t -- Euonymus japonicus Thunb. -- Symbols: aagricultural and vegetable seeds (Table 2A Part 1); ttree and shrub species (Table 2A Part 2); fflower, spice, herb, and medicinal seeds (Table 2A Part 3); wweed seeds. -- Last updated September 2008.
Accepted genera
Acanthothamnus Brandegee -- Allocassine N. Robson -- Anthodon Ruiz & Pav. -- Apatophyllum McGill. -- Apodostigma R. Wilczek -- Arnicratea N. Hallé -- Bequaertia R. Wilczek -- Bhesa Buch.-Ham. ex Arn. -- Brassiantha A. C. Sm. -- Brexia Noronha ex Thouars, nom. cons. -- Brexiella H. Perrier -- Campylostemon Welw. -- Canotia Torr. -- Cassine L., nom. cons. prop. -- Catha Forssk. ex Scop. -- Celastrus L. -- Cheiloclinium Miers -- Crossopetalum P. Browne -- Cuervea Triana ex Miers -- Denhamia Meisn., nom. cons. -- Dicarpellum (Loes.) A. C. Sm. -- Elachyptera A. C. Sm. -- Elaeodendron J. Jacq. ex Jacq. -- Empleuridium Sond. & Harv. -- Euonymus L., nom. cons. -- Evonymopsis H. Perrier -- Fraunhofera Mart. -- Glyptopetalum Thwaites -- Goniodiscus Kuhlm. -- Goupia Aubl. -- Gyminda (Griseb.) Sarg. -- Hartogiopsis H. Perrier -- Hedraianthera F. Muell. -- Helictonema Pierre -- Herya Cordem. -- Hexaspora C. T. White -- Hippocratea L. -- Hylenaea Miers -- Hypsophila F. Muell. -- Kokoona Thwaites -- Lauridia Eckl. & Zeyh. -- Loeseneriella A. C. Sm. -- Lophopetalum Wight ex Arn. -- Lophopyxis Hook. f. -- Maurocenia Mill. -- Maytenus Molina -- Menepetalum Loes. -- Microtropis Wall. ex Meisn., nom. cons. -- Monimopetalum Rehder -- Mortonia A. Gray -- Moya Griseb. -- Myginda Jacq. -- Mystroxylon Eckl. & Zeyh. -- Nicobariodendron Vasudeva Rao & Chakrab. -- Orthosphenia Standl. -- Paxistima Raf. -- Peritassa Miers -- Perrottetia Kunth -- Platypterocarpus Dunkley & Brenan -- Plenckia Reissek, nom. cons. -- Pleurostylia Wight & Arn. -- Polycardia Juss. -- Prionostemma Miers -- Pristimera Miers -- Psammomoya Diels & Loes. -- Pseudosalacia Codd -- Ptelidium Thouars -- Pterocelastrus Meisn. -- Putterlickia Endl. -- Quetzalia Lundell -- Reissantia N. Hallé -- Robsonodendron R. H. Archer -- Rzedowskia Medrano -- Salacia L., nom. cons. -- Salacighia Loes. -- Salaciopsis Baker f. -- Salvadoropsis H. Perrier -- Sarawakodendron Ding Hou -- Schaefferia Jacq. -- Semialarium N. Hallé -- Simicratea N. Hallé -- Simirestis N. Hallé -- Siphonodon Griff. -- Tetrasiphon Urb. -- Thyrsosalacia Loes. -- Tontelea Miers, nom. cons. -- Torralbasia Krug & Urb. -- Tripterygium Hook. f. -- Tristemonanthus Loes. -- Viposia Lundell -- Wimmeria Schltdl. & Cham. -- Xylonymus Kalkman ex Ding Hou -- Zinowiewia Turcz.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 712 (including 714: Hippocrateaceae). Hallé, N. 1962. Monographie des Hippocratéacées d'Afrique Occidentale. Mém. Inst. Franç. Afrique Noire No. 64; Hallé, N. 1983. Révision des Hippocrateae (Celastraceae): 3. Fruits, graines et structures placentaires. Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., B, Adansonia 5:11–25.
General references
Baillon, H.E. 1866–95. Histoire des plantes, 13 vols. Hachette and Co., Paris, Corner, E.J.H. 1976. The seeds of Dicots, esp. vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, New York, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) and 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) and 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, and J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 and amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, LeMaout, E. and J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Martin, A.C. 1946. The comparative internal morphology of seeds. Amer. Midl. Naturalist 36:513–660, Roosmalen, M.G.M. van. 1985. Fruits of the Guianan flora, 483 pp. Institute of Systematic Botany, Wageningen Agricultural University. Drukkerij Veenman B.V., Wageningen, Schopmeyer, C.S. 1974. Seeds of Woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450:1–883, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Halle (1962), Baillon, LeMaout & Decaisne, Roosmalen, Cronquist, Schopmeyer. Seed illustration(s): Halle (1962 & 1983), Schopmeyer, Cronquist. Embryo illustration(s): Schopmeyer, Martin, LeMaout & Decaisne, Cronquist, Corner.
• Fruit. 1 of 17. Catha edulis (Vahl) Forssk. ex Endl.: dehisced fruit. • Seed. 2 of 17. Catha edulis (Vahl) Forssk. ex Endl.: seeds. • Fruit. 3 of 17. Celastrus scandens L.: broken fruit. • Seed. 4 of 17. Celastrus scandens L.: seeds. • Fruit. 5 of 17. Euonymus americanus L.: dehisced fruit. • Seed. 6 of 17. Euonymus americanus L.: seeds. • Fruit. 7 of 17. Maytenus boaria Molina: dehisced fruit. • Seed. 8 of 17. Maytenus boaria Molina: seeds. • Fruit. 9 of 17. Salacia sp.: fruit. • Seed. 10 of 17. Salacia sp.: seeds. • Fruit. 11 of 17. Zinowiewia intergerrima Turcz.: fruits. • Seed. 12 of 17. Zinowiewia intergerrima Turcz.: seeds. • Fruit. 13 of 17. Hippocratea obtusifolia Roxb.: fruit. • seed. 14 of 17. Hippocratea obtusifolia Roxb.: seed. • Embryo. 15 of 17. Brexia madagascariensis Thouars ex Ker Gawl.: embryo. • Embryo. 16 of 17. Hippocratea volubilis L.: embryo. • Embryo. 17 of 17. Salacia elliptica (Mart. ex Schult.) G. Don: embryo.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. Family guide for fruits and seeds: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 12th April 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
