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Synonyms: Asteranthaceae R. Knuth, nom. cons.; Barringtoniaceae DC. ex F. Rudolphi, nom. cons.; Belvisiaceae R. Br., nom. illeg.; Foetidiaceae Airy Shaw; Napoleonaeaceae A. Rich.
Common name: Brazil-nut Family.
Number of genera 20. Number of species 280.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or an intact or entire fruit, or an incomplete fruit with epicarp and mesocarp absent and endocarp exposed, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium, or anthocarp; simple; berry, or capsule, or amphisarcum (Asteranthos); pyxidium capsule (Lecythis Spjut Fig. 46B), or loculicidal capsule (Asteranthos but not Spjut & see amphisarcum); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; simple; diclesium; without persistent central column; within accessory organ(s), or not within accessory organ(s); few to ?; 2–6-carpellate (Goldberg noted "(-7)"); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; apex not beaked; indehiscent, or dehiscent. Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent passively; at apex; and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp durable; glabrous (without hairs); without armature; smooth; without wing(s), or with wing(s); 4-winged; with wing(s) lateral; without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp absent, or present; fibrous (at least); composed of 1 unified layer; without lactiform cavity system; and endocarp not sharply differentiated. Endocarp present, or absent; not separating from exocarp; thin, or thick, or bony; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without longitudinal ridges; with apical pore(s); 1-porate. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril winged seeds absent, or present (Gustavia could be considered a funiculus or a funiculus with slightly dialated funicular head); a true aril; orange, or yellow; well developed; adnate to hilum; fleshy; of funicular origin; basal; does not aid in seed explusion from fruit; fleshy; fimbriate-laciniate. Seed larger than minute; 10 to less than 25 mm long to 50+ mm long; 15–50 mm long (at least); elliptic, or triangular; in transection triangular, or terete, or flattened; not bowl shaped; not nutlike, or nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without apparent food reserves; with endosperm, or perisperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present, or absent; without embryo surrounded and capped by viscid tissue; without markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; shiny (at least); surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface transversely rugose, or wrinkled (faintly); with crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle, or without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; with notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approaching each other, or without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrous, or pubescent; with hairs over surface; densely hairy; with straight hairs; without glandular pubescence; without wings, or with wing(s) (Casiniana); 1-winged; with wing at one end; with wing(s) solid; with solid wing(s) similar to testa (assumed); without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades), or black; nutlike woody, or thin; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo, or surrounding food reserve. Hilum larger than punctate. Endosperm copious (Asteranthos); smooth; with oils and proteins; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Perisperm opaque. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; completely filling testa (no food reserve), or partially filling testa (with food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); chamber apical to wing (assumed - or basally?); 0.9–1 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric, or peripheral; linear, or foliate; with investing cotyledons, or spatulate cotyledons; straight, or annular, or flatly coiled (circinate); parallel to seed length; surrounding endosperm, or embedded in endosperm; with cotyledons abruptly connected to hypocotyl-radicle, or gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; with cotyledons containing oils, or protein; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons, or acotyledonous (virtually surpressed). Cotyledons 2; well developed, or scarcely differentiated; 0.5–0.9 times length of embryo; somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 1.5–5.5 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; foliaceous, or not foliaceous; massive, or thick, or thin; flat, or once-folded; smooth, or ruminate, or 2-lobed (or 3-lobed); with apices entire; with margins separate, or adhering; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed, or vestigial (occasionally); straight, or folded; much thickened, or not thickened. Plumule often well developed.
Distribution
Pansubtropical. New World, Old World. Middle America, South America, Africa, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania.
Notes
Endocarp with distal operculum, often large (monkey-pots) or drupe or berry. Goldberg: recognized Lecythidaceae (fruit woody capsule, apically dehiscent, or berry); Barringtoniaceae (fruit fibrous berry, drupe, or dry 4-winged and indehiscent); and Asteranthaceae (fruit large berry or loculicidal capsule with persistent calyx (Asteranthos). Mabberley: Subfamilies: 1. Lecythidoideae (fruit berry or capsule of tropical America); 2. Napoleonaeoideae (Asteranthaceae and capsule with large calyx, or large berry of New World); 3. Foetidioideae (fruit drupe of Old World); 4. Planchonioideae (fruit usually 1-seeded berry or dry 4-winged dehiscent capsule of Old World).
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ISTA listed seeds.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl. -- Symbols: aagricultural and vegetable seeds (Table 2A Part 1); ttree and shrub species (Table 2A Part 2); fflower, spice, herb, and medicinal seeds (Table 2A Part 3); wweed seeds. -- Last updated September 2008.
Accepted genera
Abdulmajidia Whitmore -- Allantoma Miers -- Asteranthos Desf. -- Barringtonia J. R. Forst. & G. Forst., nom. cons. -- Bertholletia Bonpl. -- Careya Roxb., nom. cons. -- Cariniana Casar. -- Chydenanthus Miers -- Corythophora Kunth -- Couratari Aubl. -- Couroupita Aubl. -- Crateranthus Baker f. -- Eschweilera Mart. ex DC. -- Foetidia Comm. ex Lam. -- Grias L. -- Gustavia L., nom. cons. -- Lecythis Loefl. -- Napoleonaea P. Beauv. -- Petersianthus Merr. -- Planchonia Blume
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 362.
General references
Corner, E.J.H. 1976. The seeds of Dicots, esp. vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, New York, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, 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. and J.V. Dennis. 1976. World guide to tropical drift seeds and fruits, 240 pp. The New York Times Book Co., New York, 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, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Roosmalen, M.G.M. van. 1985. Fruits of the Guianan flora, 483 pp. Institute of Systematic Botany, Wageningen Agricultural University. Drukkerij Veenman B.V., Wageningen, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Acceptable fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or fruit incomplete, or fruit incomplete, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Gunn & Dennis, Roosmalen, Gaertner. LeMaout & Decaisne. Fruit illustration(s): Gunn & Dennis. Seed illustration(s): Karen, LeMaout & Decasine, Engler & Prantl. Embryo illustration(s): Karen, LeMaout & Decaisne, Engler & Prantl. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 103: Allantoma lineata Miers (A-C), Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. (D-F), Careya arborea Roxb. G-I), Cariniana exigua Miers (2: E-G), Petersianthus (Combretodendron) africanum Merrill [not finalized], Eschweilera laevifolia Miers (2: H-J), Foetidia sp. [not finalized], Gustavia augusta L. (J-L), Lechythis (elliptica) minor Jacq. M-O), Nepoleona leonensis (2: B-D) Hutchinson & Dalziel; [identify fruit in (2: A)].
• Fruit. 1 of 21. Asteranthos brasiliensis Destont.: fruit. • Seed. 2 of 21. Asteranthos brasiliensis Destont.: seed. • Fruit. 3 of 21. Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn.: fruit. • Seed. 4 of 21. Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn.: seed. • Fruit. 5 of 21. Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz: fruit. • Fruit. 6 of 21. Cariniana legalis (Mart.) Kuntze: fruit and its operculum. • Fruit. 7 of 21. Cariniana legalis (Mart.) Kuntze: fruit. • Seed. 8 of 21. Cariniana legalis (Mart.) Kuntze: seeds. • Seed. 9 of 21. Couroupita guianensis Aubl.: seed. • Fruit. 10 of 21. Foetidia sp.: fruit with calyx. • Seed. 11 of 21. Foetidia sp.: seed. • Fruit. 12 of 21. Petersianthus macrocarpus (P. Beauv.) Liben: fruit. • Seed. 13 of 21. Petersianthus macrocarpus (P. Beauv.) Liben: seed. • Embryo. 14 of 21. Allantoma lineata (Mart. ex Berg) Miers: embryo. • Embryo. 15 of 21. Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn.: embryo. • Embryo. 16 of 21. Careya arborea Roxb.: embryo. • Embryo. 17 of 21. Cariniana pyriformis Miers: embryo. • Embryo. 18 of 21. Eschweilera subglandulosa (Steud. ex Berg) Miers: embryo. • Embryo. 19 of 21. Gustavia augusta L.: embryo. • Embryo. 20 of 21. Lecythis minor Jacq.: embryo. • Embryo. 21 of 21. Napoleonaea leonensis Hutchinson & Dalziel: 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’.
