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Common name: Plume-yew Family.
Number of genera 1. Number of species 4.
Gymnosperm.
Disseminule a cone, or a seed.
Cones
Cone fleshy; anarillocarpium when fleshy (Spjut 2 families: Cephalotaxaceae, Taxaceae). Fruiting bracts present (but much reduced).
Seeds
Aril present (arillike sarcotesta); an arillike structure. Arillike structure falling with seed a sarcotesta. Seed larger than minute; not bowl shaped; nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta present; fleshy. Testa present; with fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; surface unsmooth; 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; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; woody, or bony; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Endosperm copious; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve); 0.4 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; linear; straight (assumed); without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; 0.3 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
Old World. Asia Major (Japan), southeastern Asia (to Himalayas and Thailand).
Notes
Page (in Kramer & Green) recognized 2 genera: Cephalotaxus & Amentotaxus. Now Amentotaxus is in Taxaceae.
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
No ASOA or ISTA listed seeds.
Accepted genera
Cephalotaxus Siebold & Zucc. ex Endl.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 0 (not present).
General references
Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, 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, Page, C.N. 1990. Coniferophytina (Conifers and Ginkgoids). In: Kubitzki, K., ed., The families and genera of vascular plants, pp. 282–361. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor arillocarpium and acceptable seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): "cone", or seed, or embryo. Illustrated "cone": arillocarpium. "Cone" illustration(s): Page. Seed illustration(s): Karen, Engler & Prantl, Page in Kramer & Green. Embryo illustration(s): Karen, Engler & Prantl. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 405: Cephalotaxus fortunei Hook. (A-B).
• Fruit. 1 of 3. Cephalotaxus harringtonii (Knight ex J. Forbes) K. Koch: fruits. • Seed. 2 of 3. Cephalotaxus harringtonii (Knight ex J. Forbes) K. Koch: seeds. • Embryo. 3 of 3. Cephalotaxus fortunii Hook.: 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’.
