| Restionaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Elegia capensis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Restionaceae R.Br. |
TheRestionaceae, also calledrestiads andrestios, are afamily offlowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere; they vary from a few centimeters to 3 meters in height. Following theAPG IV (2016):[1] the family now includes the former familiesAnarthriaceae,Centrolepidaceae andLyginiaceae, and as such includes 51 genera with 572 known species.[2] Based on evidence from fossil pollen, the Restionaceae likely originated more than 65 million years ago during theLate Cretaceous period, when the southern continents were still part ofGondwana.[3][4]
The family consists of tufted or rhizomatous, herbaceous plants belonging to a group ofmonocotyledons that includes several similar families, such as thesedges,rushes, andgrasses. They have green, photosynthetic stems and leaves that have been reduced to sheaths. Their flowers are extremely small and in spikelets, which in turn make up the inflorescences. Male and female flowers are on separate plants and, like grasses, arewind-pollinated.
Plants in the family are distributed on all the southern continents -South America (two spp.,Apodasmia chilensis andGaimardia australis),Africa south of the Equator and includingMadagascar (about 330 spp.) andAustralia (about 150 spp.) - inNew Zealand (four spp.) and widely distributed inSoutheast Asia (one sp.). They are often dominant elements of the flora in theMediterranean climates ofSouth Africa andWestern Australia. They are the defining family in theWestern Capefynbos plant community.[5] The South American species is very similar to one of the New Zealand species, leading to the conjecture that it might have crossed thePacific in the last 30 million years. The distribution of restios in Africa is irregular, with the same single species occurring in Madagascar, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,Tanzania, andMalawi, while a different species is found in theChimanimani Mountains of easternZimbabwe. Four species are found in theNatal Drakensberg, one of which spills over intoMpumalanga andLimpopo provinces. The vast majority of species, though, are to be found in theCape Floristic Region and particularly plentiful on hard sandstone formations. The center of diversity lies in theKogelberg, where more than a third of all Restionaceae may be found.[6] Restionaceae are grown inKirstenbosch,Cape Town's National Botanical Gardens.
A number of the largest African species have become popular as garden ornamentals in many parts of the world, some being useful as accent plants similar to small species ofbamboo, but with pendant stems of greater delicacy. Also, many smaller species offer a great variety of decorative features and deserve horticultural attention.
The family Restionaceae has been recognized by most taxonomists. TheAPG II system of 2003 (unchanged from theAPG system, 1998), recognizes this family and assigns it to the orderPoales, in the cladecommelinids of themonocots. TheCronquist system of 1981 also recognized this family and placed it in the orderRestionales, in the subclassCommelinidae in classLiliopsida in divisionMagnoliophyta.
As of 2020[update],Kew'sPlants of the World Online lists the following 48 genera in the family Restionaceae:[7]
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| Other | |
