Burmanniaceae

Burmanniaceae Blume

Common name: Burmannia Family.

Number of genera: 13 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 165 species.

Disseminule type: Fruit (dehisced), or fruit (intact or entire), or seed.

Division: Angiosperm.

Class: Liliopsida.

Fruits: Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; capsule; loculicidal capsule (not Spjut), or septifragal capsule (not Spjut), or foraminicidal capsule (Spjut), or pyxidium capsule (not Spjut); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; without persistent central column; crowned by perianth (marcescent); within accessory organ(s); within hypanthium; connate; persistent, or evanescent; with hypanthium composed of 1 layer (assumed); with hypanthium dry, or fleshy (seldom); many-seeded; many; less than 1 cm long; 4–7 cm long; with 1-carpellate (Apterieae), or 3-carpellate (Euburmannieae); without sterile carpels; in transection angled, or terete; 3-angled; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent (fleshy fruit & indehiscent in subfamily Thismieae). Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent regularly, or irregularly; linearly, or non-linearly; by circumscissile slit; by withering fruit wall; without replum. Epicarp durable; without armature; with wing(s), or without wing(s); 3-winged; with wing(s) lateral; without apical respiratory hole. Endocarp present; not separating from exocarp; thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.

Seeds: Aril absent. Seed larger than minute; less than 1 mm long (assumed); tiny, but larger than Orchidaceae seeds and with rather long funiculus; C-shaped, or circular, or ellipsoid, or fusiform, or linear, or straight; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without food reserves, or without apparent food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; loose (like Orchidaceae seeds), or tight; shiny; surface unsmooth, or smooth; surface with discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface verrucose; surface reticulate, or sculptured; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrous; with wing(s), or without wings; 2-winged (usually); with wings at both ends; without collar; without operculum; transparent, or colored; monochrome; brown (all shades), or yellow; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve, or surrounding embryo. Endosperm development cellular, or helobial, or nuclear; scant, or thin. Embryo undifferentiated from food reserve (4–10 celled often seeds dehisce & embryo develops occurs later); well developed; 1 per seed; acotyledonous.

General distribution: Cosmopolitan. New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: North America to Oceania.

Notes: Maas et al.in Flora Neotropica No. 42 on ways for family dehiscence: 1) Transversely by several horizontal slits in membranous wall of fruit between ribs or wings (mostly in Burmannia spp.). 2) Longitundinally and loculicidally: A) by 3 imprefect valves separating from apex to base and each reflexed valve bearing parietal placenta; B) By 1 slit in upturned wall between 2 smallest placentas (Cymbocarpa); C) Only upper part of capsule slits into 3 segments cohering by persistent style with persistent perianth (Miersiella). 3) Longitudinally and septicidally: A) By 3 valves base to apex after valves and remnant perianth shed only 3 patent ribs left, each bearing placenta (Apteria); B) Each valve splits into 2 parts cohering at the top and remaining ribs of capsule and placentation bearing ribs together forming a lantern-like structures (Gymnosiphon); C) Trilocular capsule dehiscing by 3 valves separating from apex to base and 3 remaining ribs form a lantern-like structure around axile palcental column (Burmannia tenella Benth.); D) Irregularly dehiscing by withering of membranous wall between ribs (several genera). Assuming: Thismieae - fleshy indehiscent fruit; Burmannieae - dehiscent capsule.

Noxious weeds: No USA noxious weeds listed for this family.

Familial synonyms:, Thismiaceae J. Agardh, Tripterellaceae Dumort. ,

Accepted Genera: Afrothismia (Engl.) Schltr., Apteria Nutt., Burmannia L., Campylosiphon Benth., Cymbocarpa Miers, Dictyostega Miers, Gymnosiphon Blume, Haplothismia Airy Shaw, Hexapterella Urb., Marthella Urb., Miersiella Urb., Oxygyne Schltr., Thismia Griff.

Literature specific to this family: Jonker, E.P. 1938. A monograph of the Burmanniaceae. Meded. Bot. Mus. Herb. Rijks Univ. Utrecht. 51:1–279.

General references: Baillon, H.E. 1866–95. Histoire des plantes, 13 vols. Hachette & Co., Paris, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Flora Neotropica. 1968–74. Nos. 1–14. Hafner Publishing Company, Darien & 1976-. Nos. 15-present. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx [monograph number], Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) & 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) & 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, & J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 & amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, Hooker, J.D. 1873 and forward. Icones Plantarum. William & Norgate, London. (plate number cited in text within [ ]), LeMaout, E. & J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, & Co., London, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.

Back to list of families

Suggested citation: Kirkbride, J.H., Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2006. Family Guide for Fruits and Seeds, vers. 1.0. URL: http://nt.ars-grin.gov/sbmlweb/OnlineResources/frsdfam/Index.cfm. Accessed January 19, 2008.

Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory
Questions about web site: Erin McCray
Page last updated 15 June 2006

ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links