| Connaraceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Agelaea lamarckii[3] | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Oxalidales |
| Family: | Connaraceae R.Br.[1][2] |
Connaraceae is a pan-tropical plantfamily of 19[4]genera and more than 180species[5] of largely evergreen trees, woody shrubs and climbers.
The family was first described byRobert Brown in 1816 and the name has been conserved.[1][2]
Connaraceae is a tropical family, the most important genera of which,Connarus (approximately 80 species) andRourea (40-70 species) have a pan-tropical distribution.[6]: 107 Their habitat is generally lowland tropical rain forest and savanna.
Connaraceae are typically evergreen trees, shrubs or climbers.Connarus is represented by species in all three lifeforms,[6] whileRourea species are climbers. Their leaves arepinnate,trifoliate or rarely entire,alternate, withoutstipules and with apulvinus at the base of the petiole.
Connarus guianensis is economically important for its decorative wood, zebra wood.[7]
Fossil leaflet impression described asRourea miocaudata fromIndia shows close resemblance to leaflets of the extantRourea caudata, it has been recorded from the lower part of theSiwalik sediments (Dafla Formation, middle–upperMiocene) of Pinjoli area inWest Kameng district,Arunachal Pradesh.[8]Permineralized wood of a stem with the distinctive anatomy of a liana has been described with fossil fruits from a locality in the lower Miocene (19 mya)Cucaracha Formation, where the formation is exposed by theCulebra Cut of thePanama Canal. The anatomy of thisfossil wood matches the genus Rourea. Fossil record of Connaraceae is sparse, reliable occurrences indicate that the family originated as early as the lateCretaceous-Paleocene and was widespread by the early Miocene.[9]
