| Iteaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Itea virginica flowers | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Iteaceae J.Agardh[1] |
| Genera | |
Iteaceae is a flowering plant family of trees and shrubs native to the easternUSA, southeasternAfrica, andsouth andSoutheastern Asia. Some older taxonomic systems place the genusItea in the familyGrossulariaceae. TheAPG III system of 2009 includes the formerPterostemonaceae in Iteaceae.[1] Consequently, it now has two genera with a total of 18 known species.[2]
The family is known from fossil flowers dating to theTuronian age of theLate Cretaceous that have been found in theRaritan Formation,New Jersey and from leaves dating to theEocene found in theKlondike Mountain Formation,Washington.[3]
Some seeds and one fruit of †Itea europea were found in two samples of muddy sediment from theFossil Forest of Dunarobba. In northwesternItaly, it occurs with a some seeds and fruits in two sites of Early orMiddle Pliocene age. These records suggest it was an accessory element of the mid-Plioceneswamp forest.Fossil pollen ofItea has been detected in a short section of theSarzana Basin in north-western part ofcentral Italy tentatively assigned to theMiocene-Pliocene transition. In this site a high pollen percentages of 12% suggest thatItea was an important element in the local vegetation. The nearest living relative of †Itea europaea is the American speciesItea virginica.[4]
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