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Synonyms: Cynomoriaceae Engl. ex Lindl., nom. cons.; Dactylanthaceae Takht.; Hachetteaceae Doweld; Helosaceae Bromhead; Langsdorffiaceae Tiegh., nom. inval.; Lophophytaceae Bromhead; Mystropetalaceae Hook. f.; Sarcophytaceae A. Kern.
Common name: Balanophora Family.
Number of genera 18. Number of species 44.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule an intact or entire fruit.
Fruits
Pistil(s) simple, or compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit anthocarp, or pericarpium; simple; berry (of authors, but not Spjut), or achene (of authors, but not Spjut); simple, or compound; sorosus (Helosis mexicana); without persistent central column; within accessory organ(s), or not within accessory organ(s); within other genera pedicel, or perianth (swollen perianth tube for Mystropetalon); 1–3(–5)-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterile carpels; apex not beaked; wall leathery; indehiscent. Epicarp without armature; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril absent. Seed larger than minute; less than 1 mm long (assumed); not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without glands; without wings; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted. Endosperm copious (more or less); fleshy; smooth; without apical lobes.
Embryo differentiated from food reserve, or undifferentiated from food reserve; rudimentary; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve); 0.3 times the length of food reserve (open to question); at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; without coleorhiza; acotyledonous, or with 2 or more cotyledons (barely). Cotyledons barely 2; scarcely differentiated, or tiny; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle vestigial (assumed); not thickened.
Distribution
Pantropical and pansubtropical. New World, Old World. Middle America, South America, Africa, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania.
Notes
Read Hansen (1972).
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
No ASOA or ISTA listed seeds.
Accepted genera
Balanophora J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. -- Chlamydophytum Mildbr. -- Corynaea Hook. f. -- Cynomorium L. -- Dactylanthus Hook. f. -- Ditepalanthus Fagerl. -- Exorhopala Steenis -- Hachettea Baill. -- Helosis Rich., nom. cons. -- Langsdorffia Mart. -- Lathrophytum Eichler -- Lophophytum Schott & Endl. -- Mystropetalon Harv. -- Ombrophytum Poepp. ex Endl. -- Rhopalocnemis Jungh. -- Sarcophyte Sparrm. -- Scybalium Schott & Endl. -- Thonningia Vahl
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 694. Hansen, B. 1972. The genus Balanophora J.R. & G. Forster: A taxonomic monograph. Dansk Bot. Ark. 28:1–188; Hansen, B. 1980. Balanophoraceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 23:1–75; Kuijt, J. 1969. The biology of parasitic flowering plants. University of California Press, Berkeley; Makino, T. 1909. Observations of the flora of Japan. Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 23:23 & 58–60.
General references
Baillon, H.E. 1866–95. Histoire des plantes, 13 vols. Hachette and Co., Paris, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) and 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) and 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, and J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 and amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, LeMaout, E. and J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor fruit, no seed. Cronquist has no illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed. Fruit illustration(s): Makino (1909), Baillon, LeMaout & Decaisne.
• Fruit. 1 of 7. Balanophora latisepala (Tiegh.) Lec.: fruit. • Seed. 2 of 7. Balanophora latisepala (Tiegh.) Lec.: seeds. • Fruit. 3 of 7. Lophophytum mirabile Schott & Endl.: partial fruiting head. • Fruit. 4 of 7. Lophophytum mirabile Schott & Endl.: fruits. • Fruit. 5 of 7. Sarcophyte sanguinea Sparrm. subsp. pirei (Hutch.) B. Hansen: fruiting head. • Seed. 6 of 7. Sarcophyte sanguinea Sparrm. subsp. pirei (Hutch.) B. Hansen: seeds. • Embryo. 7 of 7. Cynomorium coccineum L.: embryo.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. Family guide for fruits and seeds: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 12th April 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
