| Castilleae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Castilla elastica | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Moraceae |
| Tribe: | Castilleae C.C.Berg |
TheCastilleae are atribe within the plant familyMoraceae. It includes eight to 11genera and 55–60 species includingCastilla, the Panama rubber tree.
Members of the tribe are primarilyNeotropical with twoAfrotropical genera, one genus inNew Guinea, and one inNew Caledonia.[1]
The tribe's distinctive inflorescence is unisexual inmonoecious species, with discoid tourceolate receptacles with involucrate bracts. Other characteristics of the group include septate wood fibers and self-pruning branches.[2]
Recent phylogenetic studies have highlighted a close sister relationship with theFicus and have strongly supported the monophyly of the clade containing the Castilleae andFicus.[2] The ancestral state of this clade and the origin of figs' distinctive inflorescence—thesyconium—was disputed until recently, but new phylogenetic analyses suggest that the evolution ofentomophily and of an involucre of bracts surrounding the flower primordia preceded the divergence of these two groups, estimated to have occurred at least 83 Mya.