| Altingiaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Liquidambar styraciflua | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Altingiaceae Lindl. |
| Genera | |
 | |
| The range of Altingiaceae. | |
Altingiaceae is a smallfamily offlowering plants in theorderSaxifragales,[1] consisting ofwind-pollinatedtrees that produce hard,woodyfruits containing numerousseeds. The fruits have been studied in considerable detail.[2][3] Theynaturally occur inCentral America,Mexico, easternNorth America, the easternMediterranean,China, andtropicalAsia.[4] They are oftencultivated asornamentals and many produce valuablewood.[5]
Altingiaceae now consists of the single genusLiquidambar with 15 known species.[6] Previously, thegeneraAltingia andSemiliquidambar were also recognised, but these represent a rapid radiation and have been difficult to separate reliably.Semiliquidambar has recently been shown to be composed ofhybrids of species ofAltingia andLiquidambar. This result had been expected for some time.[5]Altingia andLiquidambar are known to beparaphyletic and a revision of the family has been prepared.[4][7] Many of thespecies are closely related, and distinctions between them are likely to beartificial.[4]
The name "Altingiaceae" has a long and complextaxonomic history. Some attribute the name toJohn Lindley, whopublished it in 1846. Others say that the authority for the name is Paul F. Horaninov, who described the group in 1841.[8] In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the family Altingiaceae was not generally accepted. Most authors placed these genera inHamamelidaceae and this treatment has been followed in some recent works as well.[9] In the twenty-first century, however,molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that including Altingiaceae in Hamamelidaceae makes Hamamelidaceae paraphyletic. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group recognizes four families in the lineage including Altingiaceae.Cercidiphyllaceae andDaphniphyllaceae are sister. This clade is sister toHamamelidaceae and these three families are sister to Altingiaceae. The clade is sister to Paeoniaceae[10]
The family is named for the genusAltingia, now a synonym ofLiquidambar. This genus was named in honor ofWillem Arnold Alting (1724–1800), theGovernor-General of the Dutch East Indies whenNoronha visitedJava.[11]
Altingiaceae have an extensivefossil record.[12][13][14] For most of thePaleogene andNeogene, they were more widelydistributed than they are today. Thestem group Altingiaceaediverged from theclade [Hamamelidaceae + (Cercidiphyllaceae + Daphniphyllaceae)] in theTuronianstage of theCretaceous Period, about 90mya (million years ago). Thecrown group Altingiaceae is much more recent, originating in theEocene, about 40 Mya.[4]
