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Theaceae

Theaceae
Theaceae image
Paul Rothrock
  • FNA
  • Resources
Linda M. Prince in Flora of North America (vol. 8)
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or hairy. Leaves persistent or deciduous, alternate [spiral or distichous], simple; stipules absent; petiole present; blade coriaceous or chartaceous, margins toothed [entire], teeth deciduously gland-tipped. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary [2-3], bracteate. Flowers bisexual; perianth and androecium hypogynous; sepals [4-]5[-14], distinct or connate proximally, concave, relatively thick; petals 5(-8)[-14], distinct or connate proximally; nectary disc absent; stamens (50-)75-125(-150), in 1-5 bundles or not bundled, connate proximally or distinct, usually adnate to petals or corolla; anthers versatile [basifixed], 4-locular, dehiscent by longitudinal slits; pistils 1, [3-](4-)5(-6)[-10]-carpellate; ovary superior, [3-]5[-10]-locular; placentation primarily (falsely; H. Keng 1952) axile; ovules anatropous (campylotropous), bitegmic, tenuinucellate; styles 1 or 5[-6], simple [branched]; stigmas 1-5[-7], usually lobed. Fruits capsular, woody, dehiscence loculicidal and septicidal, [rarely irregular or fruits drupaceous]. Seeds 2-20, reddish brown to dark brown, compressed or lenticular [angular], sometimes winged, (testa vascularized, ± lignified); embryo straight, rarely curved; endosperm nuclear, usually slight.

Theaceae are found throughout warm-temperate, subtropical, and tropical forests; they are most diverse in the Old World in numbers of genera and species. Each genus is restricted to a single major geographic area (e.g., Asia versus New World tropics) except for Stewartia, with two species found in eastern North America and all other species restricted to Asia.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that Theaceae should be defined to include only subfamily Theoideae of A. Cronquist (1981). These analyses place Theaceae in Ericales of the Asterid I clade (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 1998, 2003); identification of the closest relative remains elusive despite the accumulation of many data sets (A. A. Anderberg et al. 2002). The other closely related members of Cronquist´s Theaceae, Ternstroemioideae (Ternstroemiaceae of Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 1998 and Anderberg et al.; now Pentaphylacaceae of Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2003 and J. Schönenberger et al. 2005), do not occur in the flora area. Morphological (H. K. Airy Shaw 1936), developmental (Tsou C. H. 1998), and molecular data (L. M. Prince and C. R. Parks 2001) identify three tribes within Theaceae in the narrow sense. Relationships among the tribes remain unclear, and significant disagreement continues over the circumscription of genera and species (see Prince 2007). Taxonomy here follows Prince and Parks.



There is a rich fossil record for Theaceae, beginning from late Cretaceous through Tertiary. Much of the fossil record was reviewed by P. J. Grote and D. L. Dilcher (1989). Some fossils attributed to Theaceae cannot be positively placed in the family due to poor preservation; care should be taken when considering the literature.



Enough fossil specimens are available to state confidently that Theaceae in the narrow sense were distributed throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Preserved organs include fruits, seeds, leaves (compressions), pollen, wood, and (perhaps) some flowers (amber). The number and distribution of known fossils indicate Theaceae were a conspicuous component of the forests of North America, Europe, and Asia in the past.



Theaceae are economically important, including beverage plants (tea: primarily Camellia sinensis (Linnaeus) Kuntze), cooking oil (C. oleifera), ornamentals (Camellia spp., Franklinia alatamaha, Gordonia lasianthus, Polyspora spp., Schima spp., Stewartia spp.), timber (Polyspora spp., Schima spp.), and potential medicinals (Camellia spp.).

<< 1 - 50 taxa >>
Camellia brevistyla
Media resource of Camellia brevistyla
Camellia buxifolia
Media resource of Camellia buxifolia
Camellia caudata
Media resource of Camellia caudata
Camellia chekiangoleosa
Media resource of Camellia chekiangoleosa
Camellia chrysantha
Media resource of Camellia chrysantha
Camellia chrysanthoides
Media resource of Camellia chrysanthoides
Camellia cordifolia
Media
not available
Camellia costei
Media resource of Camellia costei
Camellia crapnelliana
Media resource of Camellia crapnelliana
Camellia cuspidata
Media resource of Camellia cuspidata
Camellia edithae
Media resource of Camellia edithae
Camellia euryoides
Media resource of Camellia euryoides
Camellia flava
Media
not available
Camellia forrestii
Media resource of Camellia forrestii
Camellia fraterna
Media resource of Camellia fraterna
Camellia furfuracea
Media resource of Camellia furfuracea
Camellia gauchowensis
Media resource of Camellia gauchowensis
Camellia gaudichaudii
Media resource of Camellia gaudichaudii
Camellia granthamiana
Media resource of Camellia granthamiana
Camellia grijsii
Media resource of Camellia grijsii
Camellia hiemalis
Media resource of Camellia hiemalis
Camellia hongkongensis
Media resource of Camellia hongkongensis
Camellia indochinensis
Media
not available
Camellia japonica
Media resource of Camellia japonica
Camellia kissi
Media resource of Camellia kissi
Camellia kissii
Media resource of Camellia kissii
Camellia lanceolata
Media resource of Camellia lanceolata
Camellia lutchuensis
Media resource of Camellia lutchuensis
Camellia montana
Media resource of Camellia montana
Camellia oleifera
Media resource of Camellia oleifera
Camellia oleosa
Media
not available
Camellia parvilimba
Media resource of Camellia parvilimba
Camellia paucipunctata
Media resource of Camellia paucipunctata
Camellia petelotii
Media resource of Camellia petelotii
Camellia pitardii
Media resource of Camellia pitardii
Camellia ptilophylla
Media resource of Camellia ptilophylla
Camellia reticulata
Media resource of Camellia reticulata
Camellia rhytidocarpa
Media resource of Camellia rhytidocarpa
Camellia rosthorniana
Media
not available
Camellia salicifolia
Media resource of Camellia salicifolia
Camellia saluenensis
Media resource of Camellia saluenensis
Camellia sasanqua
Media resource of Camellia sasanqua
Camellia semiserrata
Media resource of Camellia semiserrata
Camellia sinensis
Media resource of Camellia sinensis
Camellia stenophylla
Media
not available
Camellia subacutissima
Media resource of Camellia subacutissima
Camellia synaptica
Media resource of Camellia synaptica
Camellia thea
Media resource of Camellia thea
Camellia theifera
Media resource of Camellia theifera
Camellia transarisanensis
Media resource of Camellia transarisanensis
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This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MG-70-19-0057-19].

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