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Synonyms: Athrotaxidaceae Nakai, nom. inval.; Cryptomeriaceae Hayata; Cunninghamiaceae Zucc.; Metasequoiaceae Hu & W. C. Cheng; Sciadopityaceae Luerss.; Taiwaniaceae Hayata
Common name: Bald-cypress Family.
Number of genera 10. Number of species 13.
Gymnosperm.
Disseminule a cone, or a seed.
Cones
Cone dry; when dry a galbulus (Spjut: 3 families: Arucariaceae, Cupressaceae, Taxodiaceae); ovoid; with scales; scales with fused subtending bracts (almost), or scales with separate subtending bracts. Fruiting scales present; woody.
Seeds
Aril absent. Seed larger than minute; 1 to less than 5 mm long to 10 to less than 25 mm long; 3–15 mm long (at least); in transection flattened; 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; with markedly different marginal tissue, or without markedly different marginal tissue; marginal tissue winglike; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; dull; surface unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface 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; with wing(s), or without wings; 1-winged; with wing encompassing seed, or wing at one end; with wing(s) solid; with solid wing(s) similar to testa; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades); not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Endosperm copious; 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); chamber central to wings, or basal to wing; 0.6–0.9 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; linear (more or less); straight; parallel to seed length; embedded in endosperm; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2 to 12; moderately developed, or scale-like; 0.2–0.6 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle, or somewhat to significantly 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 well developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, Asia Major (to China, Japan, ?? Burma), southeastern Asia, Australia (to Tasmania).
Notes
Cones 2–12 cm long. Seeds slowly drop through slow dismemberment of cone on tree. Page in Kubitzi incorrectly stated of seeds of Sciadopitys: "no wing".
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ISTA listed seeds.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Dont -- Sequoia gigantea (Lindl.) Decne. = Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J. Buchholz -- Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.t -- Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J. Buchholzt -- Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.t -- 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
Athrotaxis D. Don -- Cryptomeria D. Don -- Cunninghamia R. Br., nom. cons. -- Glyptostrobus Endl. -- Metasequoia Hu & W. C. Cheng, nom. cons. -- Sciadopitys Siebold & Zucc. -- Sequoia Endl., nom. cons. -- Sequoiadendron J. Buchholz -- Taiwania Hayata -- Taxodium Rich.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 0 (not present). Dimitri, M.J. 1951. Taxodiáceas. Las plantas cultivados en la Republica Argentina, vol. 1, fasc. 22, pp. 1–23. Ministerio de Agric. y Ganaderia, Buenos Aires.
General references
Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, 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, Page, C.N. 1990. Coniferophytina (Conifers and Ginkgoids). In: Kubitzki, K., ed., The families and genera of vascular plants, pp. 282–361. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 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 galbulus & seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): "cone", or seed, or embryo. Illustrated "cone": galbulus. "Cone" illustration(s): Schopmeyer, Engler & Prantl, Page (in Kramer & Green), Dimitri (1951). Seed illustration(s): Schopmeyer. Embryo illustration(s): Schopmeyer.
• Cone. 1 of 7. Metasequoia glytostroboides Hu & W. C. Cheng: open cone. • Seed. 2 of 7. Metasequoia glytostroboides Hu & W. C. Cheng: seeds. • Cone. 3 of 7. Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.: closed cone. • Seed. 4 of 7. Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.: seeds. • Embryo. 5 of 7. Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don: embryo. • Embryo. 6 of 7. Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.: embryo. • Embryo. 7 of 7. Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. var. distichum: 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’.
