| | Family guide for fruits and seeds |
Synonyms: Diphylleiaceae Schultz Sch.; Leonticaceae Bercht. & J. Presl; Nandinaceae Horan.; Podophyllaceae DC., nom. cons.; Ranzaniaceae Takht.
Common name: Barberry Family.
Number of genera 13. Number of species 570.
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, or anthocarp; simple; berry (not Spjut), or capsule, or glandispermidium (Caulophyllum Spjut Fig. 33D & 3 families Berberidaceae, Liliaceae, Violaceae); pyxidium capsule (Jeffersonia diphylla (L.) Pers., Spjut Fig. 46A); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; without persistent central column; not within accessory organ(s), or within accessory organ(s); evanescent (glandispermdium & accrescent seeds of receptacle), or persistent; 1-seeded, or more than 1 but less than 10-seeded; 1–2-seeded; 1-carpellate; not sulcate; in transection terete; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent. Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent regularly, or irregularly; at apex (splitting to base into 2 valves), or middle; and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp purple, or blue, or black; dull, or shiny; durable, or evanscent (occasionally); glabrous (without hairs); without armature; smooth; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present; fleshy; composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system. Endocarp present, or absent; evanescent separating spontaneously from exocarp, or not separating from exocarp; thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril absent, or present (Crossosoma, Epimedium, Jeffersonia, Vancouveria); a true aril, or an arillike structure; white; well developed; adnate to hilum; fleshy; of funicular origin; basal, or marginal; does not aid in seed explusion from fruit; fleshy; fimbriate-laciniate (Jeffersonia), or plicate; with plicate hairlike fringe. Arillike structure falling with seed a caruncle. Seed larger than minute; less than 1 mm long, or 1 to less than 5 mm long, or 5 to less than 10 mm long; 1–7 mm long; circular (to semi-); in transection terete; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; loose; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface including finely rugose; 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; without wings; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades) (dark), or black; membranous, or crustaceous, or fleshy; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted. Raphe conspicuous. Endosperm development nuclear; moderate, or copious; fleshy, or hard; smooth; without starch; with proteins, oils, and hemicellulose (occasionally hemicellulose); without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed, or rudimentary (and/or: Some considered almost rudimentary; Linear: Berberis, Caulophyllum, Diphyllum, Nandina, Podophyllum; Rudimentary: Achlys, Jeffersonia, Vancouveria; Spathulate: some Berberis); 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve); 0.07–0.4 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric (and/or: Some considered almost rudimentary; Linear: Berberis, Caulophyllum, Diphyllum, Nandina, Podophyllum; Rudimentary: Achlys, Jeffersonia, Vancouveria; Spathulate: some Berberis); linear, or foliate; with investing cotyledons, or spatulate cotyledons; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; acotyledonous, or with 1 cotyledon (Nandina), or with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed, or scarcely differentiated (in Nandina maybe not differentiated); up to 0.7 times length of embryo; 1–3 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; entirely concealing hypocotyl-radicle, or partially concealing hypocotyl-radicle, or not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; thin (occasionally); flat; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally cordate, or entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed, or well developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America (to Straits of Magellan).
Notes
Goldberg: recognized Berberidaceae, Podophyllaceae, Nandinaceae.
Weed information
1 or more USA state noxious weeds.
USA states and territories with listed noxious weeds: Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH).
USA state and territory noxious weeds: -- Berberis thunbergii DC.: USA state noxious weed: MA*, NH*. -- Berberis vulgaris L.: USA state noxious weed: CT*, 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: -- Berberis aquifolium Pursh-- Berberis fremontii Torr. -- Berberis haematocarpa Wooton -- Berberis trifoliolata Moric.-- Berberis repens Lindl.-- Berberis L. spp. -- Berberis thunbergii DC. -- Berberis vulgaris L. -- Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt. = Berberis aquifolium Pursh-- Mahonia fremontii (Torr.) Fedde = Berberis fremontii Torr.-- Mahonia haematocarpa (Wooton) Fedde = Berberis haematocarpa Wooton-- Mahonia repens (Lindl.) G. Don = Berberis repens Lindl.-- Mahonia trifoliolata (Moric.) Fedde = Berberis trifoliolata Moric.-- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Berberis darwinii Hook.w -- Berberis glaucocarpa Stapfw -- Berberis vulgaris L.w -- Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt.t -- Mahonia bealei (Fortune) Carriere -- Mahonia japonica (Thunb.) DC. -- Mahonia lomariifolia Takeda -- Mahonia pumila (Greene) Fedde -- Mahonia repens (Lindl.) G. Don -- Nandina domestica Thunb.w -- Podophyllum peltatum L. -- 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
Achlys DC. -- Berberis L. -- Bongardia C. A. Mey. -- Caulophyllum Michx. -- Diphylleia Michx. -- Dysosma Woodson -- Epimedium L. -- Gymnospermium Spach -- Jeffersonia Barton -- Leontice L. -- Mahonia Nutt., nom. cons. -- Nandina Thunb. -- Plagiorhegma Maxim. -- Podophyllum L. -- Ranzania T. Itô -- Vancouveria C. Morren & Decne. --
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 128.
General references
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, Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, 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. and C.A. Ritchie. 1988. Identification of disseminules listed in the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1719:1–313, 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, 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, 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, Wood, C.E., Jr. 1974. A student's atlas of flowering plants: Some dicotyledons of eastern North America, 120 pp. Harper and Row, New York.
Illustrations
Poor fruit and acceptable seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): seed, or embryo. Seed illustration(s): Karen, Wood, Jr., Gunn & Ritchie, Schopmeyer. Embryo illustration(s): Karen, Wood, Jr., Gunn & Ritchie, Schopmeyer, Martin. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 032: 12 unknown taxa in 2 plates (A-R & 2: A-R) [Need roughs].
• Fruit. 1 of 20. Berberis morrisonensis Hayata: fruit. • Seed. 2 of 20. Berberis morrisonensis Hayata: seeds. • Fruit. 3 of 20. Mahonia tenuifolia (Lindl.) Loudon ex Fedde: fruit. • Seed. 4 of 20. Mahonia tenuifolia (Lindl.) Loudon ex Fedde: seeds. • Fruit. 5 of 20. Nandina domestica Thunb.: fruit. • Seed. 6 of 20. Nandina domestica Thunb.: seeds. • Embryo. 7 of 20. Achlys triphylla (Sm.) DC.: embryo. • Embryo. 8 of 20. Berberis aristata DC.: embryo. • Embryo. 9 of 20. Bongardia chrysogonum (L.) Griseb.: embryo. • Embryo. 10 of 20. Caulophyllum robustum Maxim.: embryo. • Embryo. 11 of 20. Diphylleia cymosa Michx.: embryo. • Embryo. 12 of 19. Jeffersonia diphylla (L.) Pers.: embryo. • Embryo. 13 of 19. Leontice leontopetalumL. subsp. ewersmannii (Bunge) Coode: embryo. • Embryo. 14 of 19. Leontice leontopetalum L.: embryo. • Embryo. 15 of 19. Mahonia napaulensis DC.: embryo. • Embryo. 16 of 19. Nandina domestica Thunb.: embryo. • Embryo. 17 of 19. Podophyllum peltatum L.: embryo. • Embryo. 18 of 19. Ranzania japonica (T. Itô ex Maxim.) T. Itô: embryo. • Embryo. 19 of 19. Vancouveria hexandra (Hook.) C. Morren & Decne.: 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’.
