Combretaceae

Combretaceae
Temporal range: Turonian - recent[1]
Combretum constrictum inflorescence
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Combretaceae
R.Br.[2]
Type genus
Combretum
Genera

18, see text.

Synonyms
  • Bucidaceae Spreng.
  • Myrobalanaceae Martinov
  • Strephonemataceae Venkat. & Prak.Rao
  • Terminaliaceae J.St.-Hil.[3]

The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera.[4] The family includes the leadwood tree, Combretum imberbe. Three genera, Conocarpus, Laguncularia, and Lumnitzera, grow in mangrove habitats (mangals).[5] The Combretaceae are widespread in the subtropics and tropics. Some members of this family produce useful construction timber, such as idigbo from Terminalia ivorensis. The commonly cultivated Quisqualis indica (as well as the entire former genus Quisqualis) is now placed in the genus Combretum. Many plants in the former Quisqualis genus contain the excitotoxin quisqualic acid, a potent AMPA agonist.[6]

  1. ^ "Myrtales". www.mobot.org. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  2. ^ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. hdl:10654/18083.
  3. ^ "Family: Combretaceae R. Br., nom. cons". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-01-17. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  4. ^ Christenhusz, M. J. M. & Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3): 201–217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1.
  5. ^ "Lumnitzera". University of Queensland. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  6. ^ Munir, Muhammad; Lu, Lisha; McGonigle, Paul (1995). "Excitotoxic cell death and delayed rescue in human neurons derived from NT2 cells" (PDF). Journal of Neuroscience. 15 (12): 7847–7860. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.15-12-07847.1995.