| Stylidiaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stylidium amoenum | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Stylidiaceae R.Br. |
| Genera | |
| Synonyms | |
CandolleaceaeF.Muell. | |
ThefamilyStylidiaceae is a taxon ofdicotyledonousflowering plants. It consists of five genera with over 240 species, most of which areendemic toAustralia andNew Zealand. Members of Stylidiaceae are typically grass-like herbs or small shrubs and can beperennials orannuals. Most species are free standing or self-supporting, though a few can be climbing or scrambling (Stylidium scandens uses leaf tips recurved into hooks to climb).
The pollination mechanisms ofStylidium andLevenhookia are as follows: InStylidium thefloral column, which consists of the fusedstamen andstyle, springs violently from one side (usually under the flower) when triggered. This deposits the pollen on a visiting insect. InLevenhookia, however, the column is immobile, but the hoodedlabellum is triggered and sheds pollen.
In 1981, only about 155 species were known in the family.[1] The current number of species by genus (reported in 2002) is as follows:Forstera - 5,Levenhookia - 10,Oreostylidium - 1,Phyllachne - 4, andStylidium - 221. These numbers, especially forStylidium, are changing rapidly as new species are described.[2]
Stylidium rotundifolium appeared in Joseph Banks' Florilegium (plate 173), drawn from a specimen collected atEndeavour River, Australia in 1770.[3]
The genusDonatia is sometimes included in Stylidiaceae in the monogeneric subfamilyDonatioideae. TheAPG II system recommends its inclusion in Stylidiaceae but allows for the optional recognition of the familyDonatiaceae.[4] Molecular andphylogenetic analysis have determined thatDonatia is a sister-group to Stylidiaceae and therefore placingDonatia in its own family has been recommended by several authorities. IncludingDonatia within the Stylidiaceae would endanger its status as amonophyletic group.[5]
Donatioideae and Stylidioideae were described byJohannes Mildbraed in his 1908 taxonomic monograph of the family. The subfamilies were created to distinguish the difference between the five typicalgenera of the Stylidiaceae from the single genusDonatia, which Mildbraed placed in Donatioideae.[6] The subfamily taxonomy represents the taxonomic uncertainty ofDonatia, which has often been placed in its own family, Donatiaceae, or other families such as theSaxifragaceae.[2][7]
Mildbraed's classification also included twotribes: Phyllachneae, which included the generaForstera andPhyllachne, and Stylidieae, which includedLevenhookia,Oreostylidium, andStylidium.[6] This level of infraspecific taxonomy is not used in recent research, but the groupings are supported by molecular data that suggestForstera andPhyllachne are closely related but distinct from the other three.[2]
APG II places Stylidiaceae and Donatiaceae in theAsterales. TheCronquist system placed both families in theCampanulales. TheTakhtajan andReveal systems place both families in the order Stylidiales. TheDahlgren system uses the same Stylidiales order, but it omits Donatiaceae. TheThorne system shifts Stylidiaceae into theSaxifragales order.
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