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Fagaceae

Fagaceae
Fagaceae image
Max Licher
  • FNA
  • VPAP
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Kevin C. Nixon in Flora of North America (vol. 3)
Trees or shrubs , evergreen or deciduous, shrubs sometimes rhizomatous. Winter buds sessile, with few to many imbricate scales (2 valvate scales enclosing imbricate scales in Castanea ); terminal bud present or absent. Leaves alternate, spirally arranged, simple; stipules deciduous (usually), distinct, scarious; petiole present. Leaf blade lobed or unlobed, pinnately veined, margins serrate, dentate, or entire; surfaces usually pubescent, at least when young, sometimes with scales. Inflorescences unisexual or androgynous catkins; staminate and androgynous catkins spicate or capitate, rigid, flexible, or lax, consisting of few- to many-flowered clusters, bracts present or absent; pistillate catkins rigid or flexible, with 1-several spicately arranged, rarely solitary, terminal cupules bearing 1-3(-15 or more) pistillate flowers. Staminate flowers bracteate, bracts often caducous; sepals (3-)4-6(-8); stamens (3-)6-12(-18 or more); petals absent; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing by longitudinal slits, pollen sacs contiguous; pistillode often present and indurate, or vestigial as central tuft of trichomes. Pistillate flowers: calyx of 4-6 distinct or connate sepals; petals absent; pistil 1, 3(-6 or more)-carpellate; ovary inferior, locules as many as carpels; placentation axile; ovules pendulous, 2 in each locule, all but 1 in each pistil usually aborting; styles as many as carpels, distinct to base; stigmas dry; staminodes present or absent. Fruits nuts, sometimes winged, 1-seeded, subtended or enclosed individually or in groups of 2-3(-15) by scaly or spiny, multibracteate cupule; seed coat membranous; endosperm none; embryo straight, as long as seed; cotyledons fleshy, starchy or oily.

In the Western Hemisphere, Fagaceae are found from southern Canada to Colombia; they are absent or infrequent in most of the northern Great Plains and northern Rocky Mountain region.

Fagaceae are one of the most important families of Northern Hemisphere woody plants in terms of total biomass and economic use. They are widely used for lumber, firewood, and horticultural plantings; the nuts are often used for animal fodder and, in some species, for human food (particularly Castanea ). As dominants in forests, woodlands, and chaparral, native stands of fagaceous trees and shrubs provide optimal wildlife habitat, often harboring an exceptionally diverse insect fauna. Most of the diversity of the family in the Western Hemisphere is concentrated in the genus Quercus , with the greatest number of species in Mexico (at least 125 species), and a secondary area of diversity in the southeastern United States.

Polyploidy has not been reported in any natural populations of species of Fagaceae. Natural interspecific hybridization is common in the family, particularly in Quercus , and also in Castanea and Lithocarpus .

The most important diagnostic feature of Fagaceae is the cupule, which occurs as the cup or cap of the acorn in Quercus and Lithocarpus and the spiny bur that surrounds the fruits of Castanea and Chrysolepis . The cupule is sometimes referred to as an involucre. A true involucre, however, is made up of bracts, while the cupule has been shown to be a complex structure that is interpreted as an indurated, condensed, partial inflorescence formed by fusion of stem axes with several orders of branching, bearing bracts that are modified as scales and/or spines (see B. S. Fey and P. K. Endress 1983).

JANAS 27(2)
PLANT: Trees and shrubs; monoecious in ours; hairs unbranched or stellate. LEAVES: usually alternate, simple, deciduous in autumn or persisting nearly 1-3 years, often lobed, pinnately veined; stipules deciduous. FLOWERS: mostly wind-pollinated, unisexual, the perianth much reduced or absent; staminate flowers in heads or aments, the perianth greenish, the stamens 4-9 in ours; pistillate flowers usually tricarpellate, solitary or in clusters of about 3 or more, subtended individually or in groups by an involucre that develops into a woody cupule enclosing or subtending the mature fruit(s). FRUIT: a nut. NOTES: 8 genera, ca. 900 spp., widespread but absent from large portions of tropical S. Amer., tropical and southern Afr., and Australia. REFERENCES: Landrum, Leslie R. Fagaceae. 1994. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 27, 203-214
<< 51 - 100 taxa >>
Castanopsis lanceifolia
Media resource of Castanopsis lanceifolia
Castanopsis mekongensis
Media resource of Castanopsis mekongensis
Castanopsis nhatrangensis
Media
not available
Castanopsis pierrei
Media
not available
Castanopsis psilophylla
Media
not available
Castanopsis sclerophylla
Media resource of Castanopsis sclerophylla
Castanopsis sempervirens
Media resource of Castanopsis sempervirens
Castanopsis sieboldii
Media resource of Castanopsis sieboldii
Castanopsis subacuminata
Media resource of Castanopsis subacuminata
Castanopsis tibetana
Media resource of Castanopsis tibetana
Castanopsis tonkinensis
Media resource of Castanopsis tonkinensis
Castanopsis tribuloides
Media resource of Castanopsis tribuloides
Castanopsis tungurrut
Media resource of Castanopsis tungurrut
Chrysolepis chrysophylla
Media resource of Chrysolepis chrysophylla
Chrysolepis sempervirens
Media resource of Chrysolepis sempervirens
Fagus castanea
Media resource of Fagus castanea
Fagus chienii
Media resource of Fagus chienii
Fagus crenata
Media resource of Fagus crenata
Fagus engleriana
Media resource of Fagus engleriana
Fagus grandifolia
Media resource of Fagus grandifolia
Fagus japonica
Media resource of Fagus japonica
Fagus lucida
Media resource of Fagus lucida
Fagus mexicana
Media resource of Fagus mexicana
Fagus nana
Media resource of Fagus nana
Fagus orientalis
Media resource of Fagus orientalis
Fagus pumila
Media resource of Fagus pumila
Fagus sieboldii
Media resource of Fagus sieboldii
Fagus sinensis
Media resource of Fagus sinensis
Fagus sylvatica
Media resource of Fagus sylvatica
Lithocarpus amygdalifolius
Media resource of Lithocarpus amygdalifolius
Lithocarpus apoensis
Media resource of Lithocarpus apoensis
Lithocarpus bancanus
Media
not available
Lithocarpus bennettii
Media resource of Lithocarpus bennettii
Lithocarpus brevicaudatus
Media resource of Lithocarpus brevicaudatus
Lithocarpus cambodiensis
Media resource of Lithocarpus cambodiensis
Lithocarpus castellarnauianus
Media resource of Lithocarpus castellarnauianus
Lithocarpus caudatifolius
Media resource of Lithocarpus caudatifolius
Lithocarpus celebicus
Media resource of Lithocarpus celebicus
Lithocarpus chrysocomus
Media
not available
Lithocarpus cleistocarpa
Media resource of Lithocarpus cleistocarpa
Lithocarpus cleistocarpus
Media
not available
Lithocarpus clementianus
Media
not available
Lithocarpus coopertus
Media resource of Lithocarpus coopertus
Lithocarpus corneus
Media resource of Lithocarpus corneus
Lithocarpus daphnoideus
Media resource of Lithocarpus daphnoideus
Lithocarpus dasystachyus
Media resource of Lithocarpus dasystachyus
Lithocarpus dealbatus
Media resource of Lithocarpus dealbatus
Lithocarpus densiflora
Media resource of Lithocarpus densiflora
Lithocarpus densiflorus
Media resource of Lithocarpus densiflorus
Lithocarpus echinifer
Media resource of Lithocarpus echinifer
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