Marcgraviaceae Explained

The Marcgraviaceae are a neotropical angiosperm family in the order Ericales. The members of the family are shrubs, woody epiphytes, and lianas, with alternate, pinnately nerved leaves. The flowers are arranged in racemes. The flowers are accompanied by modified, fleshy, saccate bracts which produce nectar. The flowers are pentamerous. The fruits are capsules.

General

• Marcgravia - (ca. 65 spp.): S Mexico, Mesoamerica, South America, Antilles
• Marcgraviastrum - (15 spp.): S Nicaragua to Peru, Bolivia plus 2 spp. in E Brazil
• Norantea - (2 spp.): Caribbean and Amazonian basin of NE South America
• Ruyschia - (9 spp.): Mesoamerica, N Andes, Lesser Antilles
• Sarcopera - (ca. 10 spp.): Honduras to N Bolivia, Guiana Highlands
• Schwartzia - (ca. 15 spp.): Costa Rica through the Andes south to Bolivia, in the Caribbean basin and 1 sp. in E Brazil
• Souroubea - (19 spp.): Mexico to Bolivia (absent from the Antilles)

There are 2 known subfamilies; Marcgravioideae (containing Marcgravia and Marcgraviastrum) and Noranteoideae (containing the rest of the genera).^[1]

Former genus include Pseudosarcopera (now listed as a synonym of Sarcopera).^[2]

Other sources

• Bedell, H.G. 1989. Marcgraviaceae. In: Howard, R.A. (ed.). Flora of the Lesser Antilles 5: 300–310.
• Dressler, S. 2000. Marcgraviaceae. In: Flora de República de Cuba, Ser. A, Fasc. 5: 1–14.
• Dressler, S. 2001. Marcgraviaceae. In: Steyermark, J.A., P.E. Berry, K. Yatskievych & B.K. Holst (eds.), Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana vol 6, pp. 248–260. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
• Dressler, S. 2004. Marcgraviaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (ed.). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. vol. 6, pp. 258–265. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

External links

• Marcgraviaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-intkey.com

Notes and References

1. Misa Ward . N. . Price . Robert A. . Phylogenetic Relationships of Marcgraviaceae: Insights from Three Chloroplast Genes and . Systematic Botany . 2002 . 27 . 1 . 149–160.
2. Web site: Pseudosarcopera Gir.-Cañas Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 20 February 2022 . en.