Lythraceae

Lythraceae
Lythrum salicaria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Myrtales Family: Lythraceae J.St-Hil.
Genera
32 (28); see text.

Lythraceae is a family of flowering plants. It includes 500-600 species of mostly herbs, with some shrubs and trees, in 32 genera. Lythraceae have a worldwide distribution, with most species in the tropics but ranging into temperate climate regions as well.

The family is named after the type genus, Lythrum, the loosestrifes (e.g. Lythrum salicaria Purple loosestrife) and also includes henna (Lawsonia inermis). It now includes the pomegranate, formerly classed in a separate family Punicaceae. The family also includes the widely cultivated crape myrtle trees. Botanically, the leaves are usually in pairs (opposite), and flowers have petals that emerge from the rim of the calyx tube. The petals often appear crumpled.

Gallery

Crape Myrtle	Crape Myrtle flowers - notice how the petals emerge from the calyx tube.	Lythrum salicaria	Cuphea ignea
Cuphea nudicostata	Pomegranate

Genera

• Subfamily Lythroideae Juss. ex Arn. 1832 = 'Lythraceae sensu stricto', 28 genera:
  • Adenaria
  • Ammania
  • Capuronia
  • Crenea
  • Cuphea
  • Decodon
  • Didiplis
  • Diplusodon
  • Galpinia
  • Ginoria
  • Haitia
  • Heimia
  • Hionanthera
  • Koehneria
  • Lafoensia
  • Lagerstroemia
  • Lawsonia
  • Lourtella
  • Lythrum
  • Nesaea
  • Pehria
  • Pemphis
  • Peplis
  • Physocalymma
  • Pleurophora
  • Rotala (genus)
  • Tetrataxis
  • Woodfordia
• Subfamily Punicoideae (Horan. 1834) S. A. Graham, Thorne & Reveal 1998 = 'Punicaceae'
  • Punica
• Subfamily Sonneratioideae (Engl. & Gilg 1924) S. A. Graham, Thorne & Reveal 1998
  • Sonneratia
• Subfamily Duabangoideae (Takht. 1986) S. A. Graham, Thorne & Reveal 1998 = 'Duabangaceae'
  • Duabanga
• Subfamily Trapoideae Voigt 1845 = 'Trapaceae'
  • Trapa

References

• Graham, S. A., Thorne & Reveal (May 1998). "Validation of subfamily names in Lythraceae". Taxon 47 (2): 435–436. doi:10.2307/1223775. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0040-0262%28199805%2947%3A2%3C435%3AVOSNIL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E. 
• Little S. A., Stockey R. A., and Keating, R. C. (2004). "Duabanga-like leaves from the Middle Eocene Princeton chert and comparative leaf histology of Lythraceae sensu lato". American Journal of Botany 91: 1126–1139. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.7.1126. 
• Carr, Gerald. "Lythraceae". University of Hawaii. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/lythr.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-20. 
• Lythraceae in L.Watson and M.J.Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.

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