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Synonyms: Chailletiaceae R. Br.
Common name: Dichapetalum Family.
Number of genera 3. Number of species 180.
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; drupe (exocarp occasionally splitting), or nuculanium, or capsule; loculicidal capsule; capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; without persistent central column; not within accessory organ(s); more than 1 but less than 10-seeded (assumed); 1–8-seeded (assumed); from 1–5 cm long; 2–4 cm long; 2(–4)-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterile carpels; apex not beaked; indehiscent, or dehiscent. Dehiscent unit endocarp(s). Dehiscent passively; without replum. Epicarp yellow, or orange; durable; coriaceous; not glabrous (with hairs), or glabrous (without hairs); hairs long; hairs dense, or scattered, or widely scattered; hairs not glandular; without armature; smooth (assumed); without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present; fleshy, or thin; composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system; and endocarp sharply differentiated. Endocarp present; not separating from exocarp; coriaceous, or bony; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes, or splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; stone unilocular, or plurilocular; stone 1(–3)-loculate; smooth, or not smooth (rugose); without wing; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without mechanism for seedling escape; without grooves; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril present, or absent; an arillike structure. Arillike structure falling with seed a caruncle. Seed larger than minute; 10 to less than 25 mm long; 15–20 mm long; ovate and straight; in transection compressed; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity without food reserves, or without apparent food reserves, or with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; loose; dull, or shiny; surface unsmooth, or smooth; surface with merged raised features; surface reticulate, or veined; 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, or transparent; monochrome; light to dark brown (all shades); thin, or membranous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo. Hilum larger than punctate; "broad". Endosperm trace (trace between cotyledons); 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; completely filling testa (no food reserve); at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; foliate; with investing cotyledons; straight; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; with cotyledons containing oils; without stomata; not green, or green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; 0.97 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 12 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; partially concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; massive; ruminate, or smooth (& occasionally with hairs along lower margins); with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed (& pubescent); straight; not thickened. Plumule with a short stalk.
Distribution
Pantropical and pansubtropical. New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Minor, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania (but mainly Africa).
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
No ASOA or ISTA listed seeds.
Accepted genera
Dichapetalum Thouars -- Stephanopodium Poepp. -- Tapura Aubl.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 726. Boesewinkel, F.D. & F. Bouman. 1980. Development of ovule and seed-coat of Dichapetalum mombuttense Engl. with notes on other species. Acta Bot. Neerl. 29:103–115; Prance, G.T. 1977. Two new species for the flora of Panama. Brittonia 29:154–158; Bretler, F.J. 1970. The African Dichapetalaceae II: Three new species from West Africa. Acta. Bot. Neerl. 19:7–15.
General references
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, 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, 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, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Acceptable fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Roosmalen, Breteler (1970), Prance (1977) & Cronquist. Seed illustration(s): Gunn & Ritchie, Karen, Breteler (1970), Engler & Prantl. Embryo illustration(s): Gunn & Ritchie, Karen, Breteler (1970), Engler & Prantl. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 228: Dichapetalum donnell-smithii Engler (A-B), Stephanopodium blanchetianum Baill. (C-D), Tapura amazonica Poepp. ex Endl. (E-F).
• Fruit. 1 of 5. Dichapetalum vitiense (Seem.) Engl.: fruit. • Seed. 2 of 5. Dichapetalum vitiense (Seem.) Engl.: seed. • Embryo. 3 of 5. Dichapetalum donnell-smithii Engl.: embryo. • Embryo. 4 of 5. Stephanopodium blanchetianum Baill.: embryo. • Embryo. 5 of 5. Tapura amazonica Poep. & Endl.: 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’.
