Acanthaceae
Encyclopedia
The family Acanthaceae (or Acanthus family) is a taxon of dicotyledon
ous flowering plant
s containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species.
Most are tropical
herbs
, shrub
s, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate
regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia
and Malaysia, Africa
, Brazil
and Central America
. The representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat
, including dense or open forest
s, in scrublands, on wet fields and valleys, at the sea coast
and in marine areas, and in swamp
s and as an element of mangrove
woods.
with entire (or sometimes toothed, lobed, or spiny) margins, and without stipules. The leaves may contain cystolith
s, calcium carbonate
concretions, seen as streaks on the surface.
The flower
s are perfect, zygomorphic to nearly actinomorphic, and arranged in an inflorescence
that is either a spike
, raceme
, or cyme. Typically there is a colorful bract
subtending each flower; in some species the bract is large and showy. The calyx
is usually 4-5 lobed; the corolla tubular, 2-lipped or 5-lobed; stamen
s either 2 or 4 arranged in pairs and inserted on the corolla; and the ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with axile placentation.
The fruit
is a two-celled capsule
, dehiscing
somewhat explosively. In most species, the seed
s are attached to a small, hooked stalk (a modified funiculus called a jaculator) that ejects them from the capsule.
A species well-known to temperate
gardeners is Bear's Breeches (Acanthus mollis
), a herbaceous perennial plant
with big leaves and flower spikes up to 2 m tall. Tropical
genera familiar to gardeners include Thunbergia
and Justicia
.
Avicennia
, a genus of mangrove
tree, usually placed in Verbenaceae
or in its own family, Avicenniaceae, is included in Acanthaceae by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies that show it to be associated with this family.
There are 246 accepted genera according to Germplasm Resources Information Network
(GRIN).
Dicotyledon
The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group...
ous flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species.
Most are tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
herbs
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
, shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Malaysia, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. The representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, including dense or open forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, in scrublands, on wet fields and valleys, at the sea coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
and in marine areas, and in swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and as an element of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
woods.
Description
Plants in this family have simple, opposite, decussate leavesLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
with entire (or sometimes toothed, lobed, or spiny) margins, and without stipules. The leaves may contain cystolith
Cystolith
Cystolith is a botanical term for the inorganic concretions, usually of calcium carbonate, formed in a cellulose matrix in special cells, generally in the leaf of plants of certain families, e.g. Ficus elastica, the Indian rubber plant of the family Moraceae...
s, calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
concretions, seen as streaks on the surface.
The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are perfect, zygomorphic to nearly actinomorphic, and arranged in an inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
that is either a spike
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
, raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
, or cyme. Typically there is a colorful bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
subtending each flower; in some species the bract is large and showy. The calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
is usually 4-5 lobed; the corolla tubular, 2-lipped or 5-lobed; stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s either 2 or 4 arranged in pairs and inserted on the corolla; and the ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with axile placentation.
The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a two-celled capsule
Capsule (fruit)
In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
, dehiscing
Dehiscence (botany)
Dehiscence is the opening, at maturity, in a pre-defined way, of a plant structure, such as a fruit, anther, or sporangium, to release its contents. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that open in this way are said to be dehiscent...
somewhat explosively. In most species, the seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s are attached to a small, hooked stalk (a modified funiculus called a jaculator) that ejects them from the capsule.
A species well-known to temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
gardeners is Bear's Breeches (Acanthus mollis
Acanthus mollis
Acanthus mollis, commonly known as Bear's Breeches or "Oyster Plant", is a herbaceous perennial plant with an underground rhizome in the genus Acanthus.-Etymology:...
), a herbaceous perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
with big leaves and flower spikes up to 2 m tall. Tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
genera familiar to gardeners include Thunbergia
Thunbergia
Thunbergia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia. Its members are known by various names, including thunbergias; clockvine on its own usually refers to Thunbergia grandiflora, while Thunbergia alata is often...
and Justicia
Justicia
Justicia is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. The roughly 420 species it contains are native to tropical to warm temperate regions of the Americas, with two species occurring north into cooler temperate regions...
.
Avicennia
Avicennia
Avicennia is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by aerial roots. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.The...
, a genus of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
tree, usually placed in Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae, commonly known as the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell.Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that...
or in its own family, Avicenniaceae, is included in Acanthaceae by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies that show it to be associated with this family.
Selected genera
Germplasm Resources Information Network
Germplasm Resources Information Network or GRIN is an online software project of National Genetic Resources Program of USDA to provide germplasm information about plants, animals, microbes and invertebrates.-Sub-Projects:...
(GRIN).
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Lepidagathis Lepidagathis is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.-Selected species:* Lepidagathis calycina* Lepidagathis cuspidata* Lepidagathis fasciculata* Lepidagathis incurva* Lepidagathis lutea... Willd. Lophostachys Lophostachys is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.-Selected species:*Lophostachys cyanea*Lophostachys falcata*Lophostachys floribunda*Lophostachys laxiflora*Lophostachys montana*Lophostachys sessiliflora... Pohl Megaskepasma Megaskepasma is a monotypic genus of plants containing the single species Megaskepasma erythrochlamys, known by the common name Brazilian red-cloak... Lindau Mendoncia Mendoncia is a genus of climbing plants in the family Acanthaceae.Species include:* Mendocia lindavii* Mendoncia mollis* Mendoncia puberula* Mendoncia velloziana... Vand. Meyenia Meyenia may mean:*In the Regnum Animalia - Meyenia - a genus of sponges *In the Regnum Plantae - Meyenia [- a genus of plants... Nees Mimulopsis Mimulopsis is a genus in the flowering plant family Acanthaceae with about 30 species native to tropical Africa and Madagascar.-Selected species:Some species of Mimulopsis:* Mimulopsis affinis Baker * Mimulopsis alpina Chiov.... Schweinf. Monechma Monechma is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae, closely related to the genus Justicia. It contains the following species :* Monechma ciliatum Milne-Redh.* Monechma cleomoides C. B. Clarke... Hochst. (sometimes included in Justicia) Neriacanthus Neriacanthus is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Neriacanthus harlingii, Wassh.... Benth. Neuracanthus Neuracanthus is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Neuracanthus aculeatus, Balf.f.... Nees Odontonema Odontonema is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae.-Selected species:* Odontonema brevipes Urb.* Odontonema callistachyum Odontonema is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae.-Selected species:* Odontonema brevipes Urb.* Odontonema... Nees (Toothedthread) Oplonia Oplonia is a genus of plants in the Acanthaceae family.- Species :* Oplonia acicularis* Oplonia acuminata* Oplonia acunae* Oplonia armata* Oplonia cubensis* Oplonia grandiflora* Oplonia hutchisonii... Raf. Peristrophe Peristrophe is a genus of between 15–40 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The species are shrubs or herbaceous plants, with two-lipped flowers.-Selected species:... Nees Poikilacanthus Poikilacanthus is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae. Species include:* Poikilacanthus macranthus* Poikilacanthus oncodes... Lindau Pseuderanthemum Pseuderanthemum is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae.- Species :* Pseuderanthemum acuminatissimum* Pseuderanthemum acuminatum* Pseuderanthemum adenocali* Pseuderanthemum adenocarpum* Pseuderanthemum affine... Radlk. Psilanthele Psilanthele is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Psilanthele eggersii, Lindau... Lindau Pupilla Pupilla is a genus of minute air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the family Pupillidae.The genus Pupilla is known from the Oligocene to the Recent period.-Species:... Rizzini (sometimes included in Justicia) Rhinacanthus Rhinacanthus is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Rhinacanthus scoparius, Balf.f.Rhinacanthus albus VoigtRhinacanthus angulicaulis I.Darbysh.... Nees Ruellia Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants. Commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias, they are not closely related to petunias . Both genera belong to the same euasterid clade, however... L. (Wild Petunia) Ruttya Ruttya is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae. It includes the following species:*Ruttya bernieri Benoist*Ruttya fragrans Benoist*Ruttya fruticosa Lindau*Ruttya ovata Harv.*Ruttya speciosa Engl.... Harv. Sanchezia Sanchezia is a genus of the plant family Acanthaceae. It is estimated to contain about 20 to 50 species. Members of this genus are shrubs, rarely small trees or herbs, occurring in the lowlands of tropical South and Central America... Ruiz & Pav. Sclerochiton Sclerochiton is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Sclerochiton preussii, C.B.Clarke... Harv. Spathacanthus Spathacanthus is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Spathacanthus hahnianus, Baillon... Baill. Staurogyne Staurogyne is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.... Wall. Stenostephanus Stenostephanus is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae.-Selected species:* Stenostephanus asplundii* Stenostephanus blepharorachis* Stenostephanus harlingii* Stenostephanus laxus* Stenostephanus lugonis... Nees Strobilanthes Strobilanthes is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia.Selected species... Blume Suessenguthia Suessenguthia is a genus of the Acanthaceae plant family comprising six species of shrubs with showy, tubular flowers arranged in few-flowered heads... Merxm. Tetramerium Tetramerium is a genus of plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.-Species:There are approximately 60 species in the genus :* Tetramerium abditum* Tetramerium angustius* Tetramerium aureum* Tetramerium butterwickianum... Nees Thunbergia Thunbergia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia. Its members are known by various names, including thunbergias; clockvine on its own usually refers to Thunbergia grandiflora, while Thunbergia alata is often... Retz. Trichocalyx Trichocalyx is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Trichocalyx obovatus, Balf.f.* Trichocalyx orbiculatus, Balf.f.... Balf.f. Whitfieldia Whitfieldia is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae with about 10 species in tropical Africa.... Hook. |
External links
- Acanthaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.
- Tree of Life Acanthaceae
- Family Acanthaceae Flowers in Israel.