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Synonyms: Abrophyllaceae Nakai; Argophyllaceae Takht.; Brexiaceae Loudon; Carpodetaceae Fenzl; Dulongiaceae J. Agardh, nom. illeg.; Escalloniaceae R. Br. ex Dumort., nom. cons.; Iteaceae J. Agardh; Ixerbaceae Griseb.; Montiniaceae Nakai, nom. cons.; Phyllonomaceae Small; Polyosmaceae Blume; Pterostemonaceae Small, nom. cons.; Quintiniaceae Doweld; Ribesiaceae Marquis; Rousseaceae DC.; Tetracarpaeaceae Nakai; Tribelaceae Airy Shaw
Common name: Currant Family.
Number of genera 23. Number of species 325.
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 multiple; berry, or carcerulus (Brexia), or capsule, or follicle (Tetracarpaea of authors, but not Spjut); follicetum (Tetracarpaea); loculicidal capsule (Ixerba not Spjut), or septicidal capsule (Itea not Spjut); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; without persistent central column; crowned by withered perianth; within accessory organ(s), or not within accessory organ(s); within calyx; accrescent; 1-seeded to many-seeded; 1-seeded (-many); 2–7-carpellate (2–3-(7)); with carpels united, or separate (Tetracarpaea); with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent. Dehiscent unit endocarp(s). Dehiscent passively (assumed); without replum. Epicarp brown (all shades), or red, or yellow, or green, or purple, or black; durable; glabrous (without hairs), or not glabrous (with hairs); hairs short; hairs scattered; hairs not glandular; Ribes with armature, or without armature; with spines; smooth, or not smooth; glandular; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present; fleshy, or dry; composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system. Endocarp present, or absent; not separating from exocarp; thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; smooth; 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; a true aril; cream and white; well developed; adnate to hilum; fleshy; of funicular origin; encompassing, or basal (up to 1/2 seed length); does not aid in seed explusion from fruit; fleshy; lobed, or unlobed. Seed larger than minute, or minute; angular, or obovate, or elliptic to ovate, or oblong, or ovate; in transection compressed; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without apparent food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent (though Corner apparently labelled the aril a sarcotesta). Testa present; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; shiny, or dull; surface unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface reticulate, or ribbed, or rugose, or wrinkled; 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; brown (all shades), or black; membranous, or hard; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Raphe conspicuous. Endosperm development cellular, or helobial, or nuclear; copious, or moderate, or scant; fleshy; smooth; with oils, proteins, and hemicellulose (occasionally); 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), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve), or completely filling testa (no food reserve); 0.1–0.9 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; linear; straight; parallel to seed length; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; moderately developed, or tiny; 0.2 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle; 1 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; thin; flat; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed, or small; straight; 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
Does Spjut's follicetum relate to capsule of other authors? Goldberg recognized Grossulariaceae, Escalloniaceae (septicidal capsule or berry), Iteaceae (septicidal capsule), Pterostemonaceae (septicidal capsule), Tetracarpaeaceae (fusiform follicle).
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ASOA listed seeds, ISTA listed seeds.
ASOA listed seeds: -- Ribes aureum Pursh -- Ribes cereum Douglas -- Ribes montigenum McClatchie -- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Ribes nigrum L. -- Ribes niveum Lindl. -- 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
Abrophyllum Hook. f. -- Anopterus Labill. -- Argophyllum J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. -- Carpodetus J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. -- Choristylis Harv. -- Cuttsia F. Muell. -- Escallonia Mutis ex L. f. -- Forgesia Comm. ex Juss. -- Grevea Baill. -- Itea L. -- Ixerba A. Cunn. -- Montinia Thunb. -- Phyllonoma Willd. ex Schult. -- Platyspermation Guillaumin -- Polyosma Blume -- Pterostemon S. Schauer -- Quintinia A. DC. -- Ribes L. -- Roussea Sm. -- Tetracarpaea Hook. -- Tribeles Phil. -- Valdivia Gay ex J. Rémy
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 558. Spongberg, S.A. 1972. The genera of Saxifragaceae in the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 53:409–498.
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., 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, 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
Acceptable fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): LeMaout & Decaisne, Schopmeyer, Cronquist, Spongberg (1972), Engler & Prantl. Seed illustration(s): Karen, LeMaout & Decaisne, AH 450, Spongberg (1972), Engler & Prantl. Embryo illustration(s): Karen, LeMaout & Decaisne, Spongberg (1972), Engler & Prantl, Corner. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 166: Abrophyllum ornans F. Muell. A-C), Brexia madagascariensis Thou ex Ker-Gawl. (2: A-C), Carpodetus serratus J.R. & G. Forster (D-F), Escallonia pulverulenta Pers. (G-I), Forgesia borbonica Pers. [not finalized], Grevea peggelinii Milne-Redhead [not finalized], Ixerba brexioides [not finalized], Montinia caryophyllaceae (2: D-F), Phyllonoma laticuspis Engler (J-L), Quintinia serrata A. Cunn. (M-O), Ribes aureum Pursh (P-R), Tribeles sp. (S-U) [check last 3 in GRIN].
• Fruit. 1 of 10. Ixerba brexioides A. Cunn.: dehisced fruiting head. • Seed. 2 of 10. Ixerba brexioides A. Cunn.: seeds. • Seed. 3 of 10. Ribes aureum Pursh: seeds. • Embryo. 4 of 10. Carpodetus serratus J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.: embryo. • Embryo. 5 of 10. Escallonia pulverulenta (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers.: embryo. • Embryo. 6 of 10. Montinia caryophyllaceae Thunb.: embryo. • Embryo. 7 of 10. Phyllonoma laticuspis (Turcz.) Engl.: embryo. • Embryo. 8 of 10. Quintinia serrata A. Cunn.: embryo. • Embryo. 9 of 10. Ribes aureum Pursh: embryo. • Embryo. 10 of 10. Tribeles sp.: 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’.
