| Dioncophyllaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Triphyophyllum peltatum | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Dioncophyllaceae Airy Shaw[1] |
| Genera | |
| |
TheDioncophyllaceae are afamily offlowering plants consisting of three species of lianas native to therainforests of western Africa.
Their closest relatives areAncistrocladaceae. Both families lie within a clade of mostly carnivorous plants which, since 1998 or so, have been moved to the order Caryophyllales. This clade also includes the familiesDroseraceae (sundews and Venus' flytrap) andNepenthaceae (an Old World genus of pitcher plants),[2] as well asDrosophyllaceae.
All species in the family arelianas at some point in their lifecycles, and climb by the use of pairs of hooks or tendrils formed by the end of theleafmidribs. The best-known member is the carnivorousTriphyophyllum peltatum, although the family contains two other species:Habropetalum dawei andDioncophyllum thollonii.
TheCronquist system (1981) had placed the family in orderViolales.
TheAPG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from theAPG system, of 1998), does recognize this family and assigns it to the orderCaryophyllales in the cladecore eudicots.
Media related toDioncophyllaceae at Wikimedia Commons