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Synonyms: Cevalliaceae Griseb.; Gronoviaceae A. Juss.
Common name: Loasa Family.
Number of genera 14. Number of species 260.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or an intact or entire fruit, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) simple, or compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium, or anthocarp; simple; capsule; loculicidal capsule, septicidal capsule, and fissuricidal capsule; capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; simple; pseudosamara (Fissenia); without persistent central column; crowned by sepals; with styles(s); at apex; within accessory organ(s); within perianth, or bracts, or cupule; accrescent; persistent; many-seeded (usually); usually many; (1–)5(–7)-carpellate (3–5 usually); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; in transection terete; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent (rarely). Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent regularly, or irregularly; actively; elastically, or explosively; with valves twisting; valves not spirally twisting, or spirally twisting; linearly; by dorsal sutures, or ventral sutures, or back of carpel; at apex, or middle, or base; and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp dull; durable; not glabrous (with hairs); hairs short; hairs dense; hairs not glandular; without armature; not smooth; with wing(s); 5-winged; with wing(s) apical; without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp absent. Endocarp present; 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 absent. Seed minute to larger than minute; less than 1 mm long to 1 to less than 5 mm long; 0.5–5 mm long; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without apparent food reserves (Gronovioideae); with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; loose; dull; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with depressed features, or discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface punctate; surface warted; surface striate, or reticulate, or ridged (longitudinally); 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); 1-winged; with wing on one side; with solid wing(s) similar to testa (assumed); without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades); not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo, or surrounding food reserve. Endosperm development cellular; copious, or scant; hard, or fleshy-soft; smooth; with oils; 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), or partially filling testa (with food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); chamber lateral to wing (assumed); 0.3–1.4 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; foliate, or linear; with investing cotyledons, or spatulate cotyledons; straight, or bent, or J-shaped; parallel to seed length; embedded in endosperm; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle, or gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; moderately developed, or well developed; 0.3–0.8 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle, or somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 1–3 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle, or partially concealing hypocotyl-radicle; thin; flat; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed, or moderately developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America, Africa, Asia Minor (Fissenia).
Notes
Airy Shaw: Fruit and seed may be spirally twisted.
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ASOA listed seeds, ISTA listed seeds.
ASOA listed seeds: -- Mentzelia albicaulis (Douglas ex Hook.) Douglas ex Torr. & A. Gray -- Mentzelia dispersa S. Watson -- Mentzelia laevicaulis (Douglas ex Hook.) Torr. & A. Gray -- Mentzelia lindleyi Torr. & A. Gray -- Mentzelia nuda (Pursh) Torr. & A. Gray -- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Mentzelia lindleyi Torr. & A. Gray -- 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
Blumenbachia Schrad., nom. cons. -- Caiophora C. Presl -- Cevallia Lag. -- Eucnide Zucc., nom. cons. -- Fissenia R. Br. ex Endl. -- Fuertesia Urb. -- Gronovia L. -- Klaprothia Kunth -- Loasa Adans. -- Mentzelia L. -- Petalonyx A. Gray -- Plakothira Florence -- Schismocarpus S. F. Blake -- Scyphanthus Sweet -- Xylopodia Weigend
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 429. Hufford, L.D. 1988. Seed morphology of Eucnide and other Loasaceae. Syst. Bot. 13:154–167.
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, 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, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor fruit and acceptable seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Cronquist, LeMaout & Decaisne, Engler & Prantl. Seed illustration(s): Karen, Engler & Prantl, LeMaout & Decaisne, Cronquist, Hufford (1988). Embryo illustration(s): Karen, Engler & Prantl, LeMaout & Decaisne, Corner. Martin. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 130: Blumenbachia latifolia Cambess, (A-C), Caiophora lateritia Benth. (D-F), Cevallia sinuata Lab. (G-I), Eucnide aurea (A. Gray) H.J. Thomps. & W. Ernst (J-L), Fuertesia domengensis Urb. (M-O), Gronovia scandens L. (P-R), Klaprothia fasiculata (K. Presl) M.S. Poston (2: A-C), Loasa vulcanica Andre' (2: D-E), Mentzelia decapetala (Pursh) Urb. (2: G-I), Petalonyx linearis Greene (2: J-L), Kleprothia (Schlerothrix) faciculata (2: M-O), Scyphanthus stenocarpus (2: P-R), Eucnide (Sympeteleia) aurea (A. Gray) H.J. Thomps. & W.R. Ernst (2: S-U).
• Fruit. 1 of 17. Kissenia spathulata R. Br. ex T. Anders.: fruit with calyx. • Seed. 2 of 17. Nasa triphylla (Juss.) Weigend: seeds. • Seed. 3 of 17. Mentzelia laevicaulis (Douglas ex Hook.) Torr. & A. Gray: seeds. • Fruit. 4 of 17. Petalonyx linearis Greene: fruits. • Seed. 5 of 17. Petalonyx linearis Greene: fruits with wings removed. • Seed. 6 of 17. Petalonyx linearis Greene: seed. • Embryo. 7 of 17. Blumenbachia latifolia Cambess.: embryo. • Embryo. 8 of 17. Caiophora lateritia (Hook.) Klotzsch: embryo. • Embryo. 9 of 17. Cevallia sinuata Lag.: embryo. • Embryo. 10 of 17. Fuertesia domingensis Urb.: embryo. • Embryo. 11 of 17. Gronovia scandens L.: embryo. • Embryo. 12 of 17. Klaprothia fasciculata (C. presl.) Poston: embryo. • Embryo. 13 of 17. Nasa triphylla (Juss.) Weigend: embryo. • Embryo. 14 of 17. Mentzelia decapetala (Pursh ex Sims) Urb. & Gilg ex Gilg: embryo. • Embryo. 15 of 17. Petalonyx linearis Greene: embryo. • Embryo. 16 of 17. Klaprothia fasciculata (C. presl.) Poston: embryo. • Embryo. 17 of 17. Loasa argentina Urb. & Gilg: 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’.
