Nelumbonaceae

Nelumbonaceae
Temporal range: Barremian - recent
N. nucifera (sacred lotus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Nelumbonaceae
A.Rich.[1]
Genera

Nelumbonaceae is a family of aquatic flowering plants. Nelumbo is the sole extant genus, containing Nelumbo lutea, native to North America, and Nelumbo nucifera, widespread in Asia.[2] At least five other genera, Nelumbites, Exnelumbites, Paleonelumbo, Nelumbago, and Notocyamus[3][4] are known from fossils.

Nelumbonaceae were once included in the waterlily family, Nymphaeaceae. Genetic analysis determined that the similarities between the families are an example of convergent evolution. Nelumbonaceae are highly modified eudicots belonging to the order Proteales, their closest living relatives being the plane trees (Platanaceae) and Proteaceae.[5] Notocyamus from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil is the oldest known representative of the family, and displays several transitional traits between Nelumbonaceae and both the Proteaceae and Platanaceae.[4]

The APG IV system of 2016 places the family in the order Proteales, in the clade eudicots.[6][1] The Cronquist system, of 1981, also recognized this family, but placed it in order Nymphaeales in subclass Magnoliidae in class Magnoliopsida (=dicotyledons), based on gross morphological similarities. The Dahlgren system and Thorne system (1992) also recognized this family and placed it in its own order, Nelumbonales, in superorder Magnolianae in subclass Magnoliidae (=dicotyledons).

  1. ^ a b Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1111/boj.12385. ISSN 0024-4074.
  2. ^ "Classification | USDA PLANTS".
  3. ^ Estrada-Ruiz, Emilio; Upchurch Jr., G.R.; Wolfe, J.A.; Cevallos-Ferriz, S.R.S. (2011), "Comparative Morphology of Fossil and Extant Leaves of Nelumbonaceae, Including a New Genus from the Late Cretaceous of Western North America", Systematic Botany, 36 (2): 337–351, doi:10.1600/036364411X569525, S2CID 86589995
  4. ^ a b Gobo, William Vieira; Kunzmann, Lutz; Iannuzzi, Roberto; dos Santos, Thamiris Barbosa; da Conceição, Domingas Maria; Rodrigues do Nascimento, Daniel; da Silva Filho, Wellington Ferreira; Bachelier, Julien B.; Coiffard, Clément (2 June 2023). "A new remarkable Early Cretaceous nelumbonaceous fossil bridges the gap between herbaceous aquatic and woody protealeans". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 8978. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-33356-z. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10238487.
  5. ^ Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards), "Proteales: Nelumbonaceae", Angiosperm Phylogeny Website, retrieved 2014-02-25
  6. ^ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (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