| | Family guide for fruits and seeds |
Synonyms: Frangulaceae DC.; Phylicaceae J. Agardh; Ziziphaceae Adans.ex Post & Kuntze
Common name: Buckthorn Family.
Number of genera 49. Number of species 875.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or an intact or entire fruit, or an incomplete fruit with epicarp and mesocarp absent and endocarp exposed, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium, or anthocarp; simple, or schizocarp; capsule, or samara, or drupe; samarium, or coccarium; ceratium capsule; capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; simple; pome; without persistent central column; with styles(s); at apex; not within accessory organ(s), or within accessory organ(s); within calyx (Paliurus ramosissimum); connate; persistent; 1-seeded (to few); 1-seeded (to few); 1–2 inches; 2(–5)-carpellate (2–3(-5)); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterile carpels; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent. Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp durable; glabrous (without hairs); without armature; without wing(s), or with wing(s); 1–3-winged; with wing(s) lateral, or encompassing; without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp present. Endocarp present; not separating from exocarp; hard and fibrous, or woody, or bony, or thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes, or splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; stone unilocular, or plurilocular; without wing; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without mechanism for seedling escape; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril absent, or present (Corner only author with "arillate"); a true aril. Seed larger than minute; 1 to less than 5 mm long to 5 to less than 10 mm long; 4–8 mm long (at least); oblong, or sectoral shape; in transection triangular; 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. Testa present; without markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; loose; dull, or shiny; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface 1- ridged, or roughened; 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; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo, or surrounding food reserve. Raphe conspicuous; as long as seed; included in dehisced fruit. Endosperm development nuclear; moderate, or scant, or thin; fleshy; smooth, or ruminate (Reynosia); 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; nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); 1 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; foliate; with investing cotyledons, or spatulate cotyledons; straight, or bent (Exothea & Reynosia); parallel to seed length; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; with cotyledons containing oils; without stomata; green (or yellowish-), or not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; 0.9 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 3–6 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; partially concealing hypocotyl-radicle; foliaceous; thin to moderately thick; flat (& rolled); smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle 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
Ventilagineae - ovary superior or 1/2 & 1/2, fruit dry, 1-celled, 1-seeded, covered at base or 1/2 way by calyx tube; Zizyheae - ovary superior or 1/2 & 1/2, drupe dry or fleshy, covered at base of 1/2 way by calyx tube, endocarp 1–3-celled; Rhamnae - overy inferior or superior, fruit dry or drupaceous, 3–4 cocci or pyrenes; Colletieae - ovary free or 1/2 superior, fruit coriaceous of 2–3 cocci or a 1–3-celled drupe; Gouanieae - ovary inferior, fruit coriaceous, 3 cocci, occasionally 3 winged.
Weed information
1 or more USA state noxious weeds.
USA states and territories with listed noxious weeds: Connecticut (CT), Illinois (IL), Iowa (IA), Massachusetts (MA), Minnesota (MN), New Hampshire (NH), Vermont (VT).
USA state and territory noxious weeds: -- Frangula alnus Mill.: USA state noxious weed: MA● -- Rhamnus arguta Maxim.: USA state noxious weed: IL●] -- Rhamnus cathartica L.: USA state noxious weed: CT●, IL●, MA●, MN●, NH●, VT●] -- Rhamnus davurica Pall.: USA state noxious weed: IL●. -- Rhamnus frangula L. (=Frangula alnus Mill.): USA state noxious weed: IL●, MN●, NH●, VT●. -- Rhamnus japonica Maxim.: USA state noxious weed: IL●. -- Rhamnus spp.: USA state noxious weed: IA●. -- Rhamnus utilis Decne.: USA state noxious weed: IL●. -- Symbols: ªaquatic weed; ●terrestrial weed; °weed in seed. -- Last updated September 2008.
Listed seeds
ASOA listed seeds, ISTA listed seeds.
ASOA listed seeds: -- Ceanothus cuneatus (Hook.) Nutt. -- Ceanothus fendleri A. Gray -- Ceanothus integerrimus Hook. & Arn. -- Ceanothus prostratus Benth. -- Ceanothus velutinus Douglas ex Hook. -- Frangula purshiana (DC.) J. G. Cooper -- Rhamnus purshiana DC. = Frangula purshiana (DC.) J. G. Cooper -- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Frangula purshiana (DC.) J. G. Cooper-- Maesopsis eminii Engl. -- Rhamnus purshiana DC. = Frangula purshiana (DC.) J. G. Cooper-- 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
Adolphia Meisn. -- Alphitonia Reissek ex Endl. -- Alvimiantha Grey-Wilson -- Ampelozizyphus Ducke -- Auerodendron Urb. -- Bathiorhamnus Capuron -- Berchemia Neck. ex DC., nom. cons. -- Berchemiella Nakai -- Blackallia C. A. Gardner -- Ceanothus L. -- Chaydaia Pit. -- Colletia Comm. ex Juss., nom. cons. -- Colubrina Rich. ex Brongn., nom. cons. -- Condalia Cav., nom. cons. -- Crumenaria Mart. -- Cryptandra Sm. -- Discaria Hook. -- Doerpfeldia Urb. -- Emmenosperma F. Muell. -- Frangula Mill. -- Gouania Jacq. -- Granitites Rye -- Helinus E. Mey. ex Endl., nom. cons. -- Hovenia Thunb. -- Karwinskia Zucc. -- Kentrothamnus Suess. & Overkott -- Krugiodendron Urb. -- Lasiodiscus Hook. f. -- Maesopsis Engl. -- Nesiota Hook. f. -- Noltea Rchb. -- Paliurus Mill. -- Phylica L. -- Pomaderris Labill. -- Reissekia Endl. -- Retanilla (DC.) Brongn. -- Reynosia Griseb. -- Rhamnella Miq. -- Rhamnidium Reissek -- Rhamnus L. -- Sageretia Brongn. -- Schistocarpaea F. Muell. -- Scutia (Comm. ex DC.) Brongn., nom. cons. -- Siegfriedia C. A. Gardner -- Smythea Seem. -- Spyridium Fenzl -- Trevoa Miers ex Hook. -- Trymalium Fenzl -- Ventilago Gaertn. -- Ziziphus Mill.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 744. Li. H.-L. Rhamnaceae. 1977. In: H.-L., T.-S. Liu, T.-C. Huang, T. Koyama & C.E. DeVol., eds., Flora of Taiwan, vol. 3, 650–663. Epoch Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan.
General references
Baillon, H.E. 1866–95. Histoire des plantes, 13 vols. Hachette and Co., Paris, 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], Gray, A. 1848. Genera florae Americae boreali-orientalis illustrata, 2 vols. James Munroe and Co., Boston., 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, Hooker, J.D. 1873 and forward. Icones Plantarum. William & Norgate, London. (plate number cited in text within [ ]), 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, 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
Poor fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or fruit incomplete, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Gray, Hooker [1951)], Baillon, Engler & Prantl, Gunn & Ritchie. Fruit illustration(s): Engler & Prantl, Schopmeyer. Seed illustration(s): Gray, Gunn & Ritchie, Schopmeyer, Lemaout & Decaisne. Embryo illustration(s): Gray, Engler & Prantl, Martin, Gunn & Ritchie, Schopmeyer, LeMaout & Decaisne.
• Fruit. 1 of 13. Adolphia infesta (Kunth) Meiss.: fruits with calyx. • Seed. 2 of 13. Adolphia infesta (Kunth) Meiss.: seeds. • Fruit. 3 of 13. Ceanothus velutinus Douglas ex Hook.: fruits with calyx and pedicel. • Seed. 4 of 13. Ceanothus velutinus Douglas ex Hook.: seeds. • Fruit. 5 of 13. Crumenaria erecta Reissek: fruit with peduncle. • Seed. 6 of 13. Crumenaria erecta Reissek: seed. • Fruit. 7 of 13. Frangula alnus Mill.: fruit with peduncle. • Seed. 8 of 13. Frangula alnus Mill.: seeds. • Fruit. 9 of 13. Smythea macrocarpa Hemsl.: fruit. • Fruit. 10 of 13. Ziziphus jujuba Mill.: fruit. • Fruit. 11 of 13. Ziziphus jujuba Mill.: fruit with exocarp removed. • Seed. 12 of 13. Ziziphus jujuba Mill.: partially broken seed. • Embryo. 13 of 13. Ziziphus mucronata Willd.: 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’.
