Moraceae

Moraceae Temporal range: 80 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Cretaceous - Recent
Panama Rubber Tree (Castilla elastica)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae Link
Genera
See text.

Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 40 genera and over 1000 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates. The only synapomorphy within Moraceae is presence of laticifers and milky sap in all parenchymatous tissues, but generally useful field characters include two carpels sometimes with one reduced, compound inconspicuous flowers, and compound fruits.^[1] Included are well-known plants such as the fig, banyan, breadfruit, mulberry, and Osage-orange. The 'flowers' of Moraceae are often pseudanthia (reduced inflorescences).

Classification

Formerly positioned within the now defunct order Urticales, recent genetic studies have resulted in its placement within Rosales in a clade called the urticalean rosids that also includes Ulmaceae, Celtidaceae, Cannabaceae and Urticaceae. Cecropia, which were variously placed in Moraceae, Urticaceae, or their own family Cecropicaceae, have turned out to belong in Urticaceae.^[2]

Moraceae dioecy evolves from monoecy, dioecy was the primitive state in Moraceae and monoecy evolved within in it up to four times.^[3]

Genera

Tribe Artocarpeae Artocarpus - Breadfruit, Jackfruit Batocarpus Clarisia Hullettia Parartocarpus Prainea Treculia[4]

Tribe Castilleae Antiaris Antiaropsis Castilla Helicostylis Maquira Mesogyne Naucleopsis Perebia Poulsenia Pseudolmedia Sparattosyce[5]

Tribe Dorstenieae Brosimum - Breadnut Bosqueiopsis Dorstenia Helianthostylis Scyphosyce Trilepisium Trymatococcus Utsetela[6] Tribe Ficeae Ficus - Fig trees, Banyans[7]

Tribe Moreae Bagassa Bleekrodea Broussonetia - Paper Mulberry Fatoua Maclura - Osage-orange Milicia Morus - Mulberry Sorocea Streblus Trophis[8]

Footnotes

1. ^ Judd et al. (2008)
2. ^ Sytsma et al. (2002)
3. ^ Datwyler and Weiblen (2004)
4. ^ "Genera of Moraceae tribe Artocarpeae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?2408. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
5. ^ "Genera of Moraceae tribe Castilleae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?2409. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
6. ^ "Genera of Moraceae tribe Dorstenieae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?2410. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
7. ^ "Genera of Moraceae tribe Ficeae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?2411. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
8. ^ "Genera of Moraceae tribe Moreae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?2412. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 

References

• Datwyler, Shannon L. & Weiblen, George D. (2004): On the origin of the fig:Phylogenetic relationships of Moraceae from ndhF sequences. American Journal of Botany 91(5): 767-777. PDF fulltext
• Judd, Walter S.; Campbell, Christopher S.; Kellogg, Elizabeth A.; Stevens, Peter F. & Donoghue, Michael J. (2008): Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, MA.
• Sytsma, Kenneth J.; Morawetz, Jeffery; Pires, J. Chris; Nepokroeff, Molly; Conti, Elena; Zjhra, Michelle; Hall, Jocelyn C. & Chase, Mark W. (2002): Urticalean rosids: Circumscription, rosid ancestry, and phylogenetics based on rbcL, trnL-F, and ndhF sequences. American Journal of Botany 89(9): 1531-1546. PDF fulltext
• Zerega, Nyree J. C.; Clement, Wendy L.; Datwyler, Shannon L. & Weiblen, George D. (2005): Biogroegraphy and divergence times in the mulberry family (Moraceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37(2): 402-416. doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2005.07.004 PDF fulltext

External Reference

• Moraceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.