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Common name: Maesa Family.
Number of genera 1. Number of species 100.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule an intact or entire fruit.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit anthocarp (not Spjut), or pericarpium; simple; berry, or drupe (based on published works, but not Spjut); berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; simple; without persistent central column; within accessory organ(s), or not within accessory organ(s); within calyx; connate; persistent; soft calyx; more than 1 but less than 10-seeded to many-seeded; several to many; less than 1 cm long; 0.2–0.5 cm long (in diamter); 5(–6)-carpellate (assumed); 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; wall fleshy; indehiscent. Epicarp brown (all shades), or orange, or red, or white, or yellow; durable; glabrous (without hairs), or not glabrous (with hairs); hairs short; hairs dense, or scattered; hairs not glandular; without armature; smooth, or not smooth; glandular, or wrinkled, or ribbed (sligthly to prominent); without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present. Endocarp present, or absent; crustaceous, or woody; 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. Seed larger than minute; 1 to less than 5 mm long; 2–4 mm long; angular; in transection compressed, or 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 markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; surface unsmooth; surface with depressed features, or merged raised features; surface pitted (irregularly shaped); surface reticulate, or tessellate; 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, or pubescent; with hairs over surface; with short hairs; densely hairy; with straight hairs; tomentose; without glandular pubescence; without wings; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades), or red to purple; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Endosperm development nuclear (assumed); copious; hard (horny); smooth; 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); at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; straight, or bent; oblique to seed length, or transverse to seed length; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; equal in size; not punctate dotted.
Distribution
Old World. Africa, Asia Minor, southeastern Asia (Yeman & Thailand).
Notes
Spjut did not cover this family. Fruit described as berry, berry-like, or drupe. Based on drawings, fruit is either superior or 1/2 inferior. Epicarp thinly fleshy to dry. Seeds 2–9, 2–4 mm, cotyledons short and narrow.
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
No ASOA or ISTA listed seeds.
Accepted genera
Maesa Forssk.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 514 (from Myrsinaceae of Cronquist & Mabberley). Anderberg, A.A., B. Ståhl & M. Källersjö. 2000. Maesaceae, a new primuloid family in the order Ericales s.l. Taxon 49:183–187; Halliday, P. 1984. Myrsinaceae. In: R.M. Polhill, ed., Flora of Tropical East Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam; Larsen, K. & C.-M. Hu. 1996. Myrsinaceeae. In: Larsen, K., ed., Flora of Thailand 6:81–178; Zhengyi, W. & P.H. Raven, eds. 1996 & 2000. Flora of China: Myrsinaceae through Loganiaceae. Text & Illustrations, vol. 15. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis; Hepper, F.N. 130. 1963. Myrsinaceae. In: Hepper, F.N., ed., Flora of West Tropical Africa 2:30–34. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, Millbank, London.
Illustrations
• Fruit. 1 of 4. Maesa perlarius (Lour.) Merr.: fruits. • Seed. 2 of 4. Maesa perlarius (Lour.) Merr.: seed cluster. • Seed. 3 of 4. Maesa perlarius (Lour.) Merr.: seeds.
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’.
