Pentaphylacaceae Engl.

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Trees or shrubs (3-)10(-20) m tall, usually evergreen

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, spiral or sometimes distichous simple, petiolate, or rarely sessile (Freziera Willd.), often asymmetrical, coriaceous, margin entire, serrate or occasionally serrulate or crenulate, small deciduous bristle-like glands often terminating each tooth, venation pinnate, secondary venation visible, and parallel in Freziera, midrib usually depressed adaxially and raised abaxially, black gland dots present abaxially (Ternstroemia Mutis ex L.f.), exstipulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence axillary, cymose, rarely racemose or fasciculate (1)4(-15)-flowered or flowers solitary (Ternstroemia)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flower actinomorphic, bisexual or unisexual and functionally dioecious with pistillode present in staminate flowers and appearing hermaphroditic (Freziera), pedicellate, bracteoles 2; calyx with 5(-6) sepals, these imbricate, distinct or basally connate, setae occasionally bordering the sepal, persistent in fruit; corolla with 5 petals, these imbricate, distinct or slightly connate at the base; stamens 10-50 or more, staminodia present in female flowers, anthers basifixed, occasionally slightly connate at the base, adnate to base of corolla, often hirsute; gynoecium syncarpous, ovary superior and narrowing apically or appearing semi-inferior (Symplocarpon Airy Shaw), carpels (1-)3, locules (1-)3, style1-3, stigmas 2-5

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a berry, indehiscent, or with irregular or circumscissile dehiscence, or a drupe, fleshy or infrequently dry, persistent calyx and style

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed pendulous, can be numerous, up to 10mm in length, aril present in Ternstroemia.

Diagnostic

Key differences from similar families: Theaceae - have the bracteoles, calyx and corolla indistinguishable from one another, plus a capsular fruit and generally versatile anthers. Bonnetiaceae - have white to yellow exudate. Kielmeyeroideae of the Clusiaceae - have exudate present. Sapotaceae -  have exudate present. Actinidaceae -  have an inflorescence which is a thyrse, fruit a berry with numerous seeds. Tetrameristaceae - fruit a berry, racemose inflorescence. Ternstroemia : Leaves appearing whorled, punctuated with black dots. Flowers solitary and borne below the leaves. Ovary superior. Fruit dry and indehiscent. Seeds with red sarcotesta. Symplococarpon :  Leaves distichous. Corolla 7 mm long. Ovary 2-locular appearing inferior. Calyx persistent on top of the fruit. Cleyera : Leaves distichous. Deciduous bracts. Stamens in a single series. Filaments twice as long as the anthers. Ovaries 2-3 locular. Ovules 8-16. Freziera :  Leaves distichous. Secondary venation parallel. Petiole absent or winged. Flowers unisexual and functionally dioecious. Corolla urceolate. Stamens in a single series. Anthers shorter than the filament. Style shorter than ovary (ca. 2 mm long). Stigma 3-5 lobed. Found in disturbed habitats. Distinguishing characters (always present): Alternate leaves. Exstipulate. Imbricateperianth parts. Axillaryinflorescence. Anthers basifixed and dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Flowers white to pinkish, semi-succulent, conspicuous. Hermaphroditic flowers (bisexual in Freziera). Bracteolate (although can be quick to fall in Cleyera). Stamens in a single whorl in Cleyera and Frezieria otherwise 2-many whorls. Anthers shorter than the filaments in Cleyera and Frezieria. Degrees of serration of the leaf margins which often end in marginal setae. Fruit that is baccate or dry, and indehiscent (Ternstroemia). Calyx and stylepersistent in fruit.

Note

Number of genera: Four Neotropical and thirteen worldwide with a total of approximately 300 species: Cleyera Thunb., with 16 Neotropical species. Freziera Willd., consisting of ca. 42 species in the Neotropics. Symplocarpon Airy Shaw, containing 9 Neotropical species. Ternstroemia Mutis ex L.f., ca. 60 species in the Neotropics. Notes on delimitation: The Neotropical genera of Pentaphylacaceae have historically been part of Theaceae (due to shared morphological characters such as imbricateperianth segments and the longitudinal dehiscence of the anthers) being treated as subfamily Ternstroemioideae or following molecular work as a separate family the Ternstroemiaceae (Prince and Parks, 2001). Commonly divided into three tribes (two of which include Neotropical genera); Ternstroemieae containing Ternstroemia and the Freziereae consisting of three Neotropical genera Frezieria, Cleyera Thunb. and Symplocarpon. The third tribe includes the monotypicPentaphyllax Gardner & Champ. with a distribution limited to South East Asia. The problem of recognising the name Pentaphylacaceae is that it is conserved, however it currently takes priority over Ternstroemiaceae which is now subsumed under Pentaphylacaceae.

Distribution

Cleyera and Ternstroemia are pantropical. Freziera and Symplococarpon are endemic to the Neotropics. Found throughout the Neotropics in montane areas, particularly in cloud forests. Freziera species do particularly well in disturbed environments.