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Commelinaceae
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<h2 id="description">Description</h2> <p>Plants in the Commelinaceae are usually <a href="/facts/Perennial_plant/MQ3NvAUW">perennials</a>, but a smaller number of species are <a href="/facts/Annual_plant/SkPv72DA">annuals</a>. They are always <a href="/facts/Terrestrial_plant/lr1KGrQv">terrestrial</a> except for plants in the genus <i><a href="/facts/Cochliostema/pGDdznqg">Cochliostema</a></i>, which are <a href="/facts/Epiphyte/n0oUN0Yd">epiphytes</a>. Plants typically have an erect or scrambling but ascending habit, often spreading by rooting at the <a href="/facts/Node_(botany)/QlQWSzV4">nodes</a> or by <a href="/facts/Stolon/dNDj2H9p">stolons</a>. Some have <a href="/facts/Rhizome/wWDKJrSf">rhizomes</a>, and the genera <i><a href="/facts/Streptolirion/rSMfgRQv">Streptolirion</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Aetheolirion/DJw9s67C">Aetheolirion</a></i>, and some species of <i><a href="/facts/Spatholirion/ufIcXtIE">Spatholirion</a></i> are climbers. The roots are either fibrous or form <a href="/facts/Tuber/wGw2Sbag">tubers</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>Leaves form sheaths at their bases that surround the stem, much like the leaves of <a href="/facts/Grasses/q2CRK8q0">grasses</a>, except that the sheaths are closed and do not have a <a href="/facts/Ligule/bBrfX8d9">ligule</a>. The leaves alternate up the stem and may be two-ranked or spirally arranged. The leaf blades are simple and entire (that is, they lack any teeth or lobes), they sometimes narrow at the base, and they are often <a href="/facts/Succulent/FjShYdlH">succulent</a>. The way in which the leaves typically unfurl from bud is a distinctive feature of the family: it is termed involute, and means that the margins at the leaf base are rolled in when they first emerge. However, some groups are supervolute or convolute.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Inflorescence/CvpNd4vS">inflorescences</a> occur either as a terminal shoot at the top of the plant, or as terminal and axillary shoots arising from lower <a href="/facts/Node_(botany)/QlQWSzV4">nodes</a>, or rarely as only axillary shoots that pierce through the leaf sheath such as in <i><a href="/facts/Coleotrype/14MelsrD">Coleotrype</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Amischotolype/9QJxadch">Amischotolype</a></i>. The inflorescence is classed as a thyrse, and each subunit is made up of cincinni; this basically means that flowers are grouped in scorpion's tail-like clusters along a central axis, although this basic ground plan can become highly modified or reduced. Inflorescences or their subunit are sometimes enclosed in a leaf-like <a href="/facts/Bract/pnMGNMdn">bract</a> often called a <a href="/facts/Spathe/pnMGNMdn">spathe</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>Flowers can have either one or many planes of symmetry; that is either <a href="/facts/Zygomorphic/oJMuxKtL">zygomorphic</a> or <a href="/facts/Actinomorphic/oJMuxKtL">actinomorphic</a>. They remain open for only a few hours after opening, after which they deliquesce. The flowers are usually all bisexual (<a href="/facts/Hermaphrodite/C4aYIk4n">hermaphrodite</a>), but some species have both male and bisexual flowers (<a href="/facts/Andromonoecious/Up20kQT3">andromonoecious</a>), the single species <i><a href="/facts/Callisia_repens/6fLt2I6b">Callisia repens</a></i> has bisexual and female flowers (<a href="/facts/Gynomonoecious/Up20kQT3">gynomonoecious</a>), and some have bisexual, male, and female flowers (<a href="/facts/Polygamomonoecious/Up20kQT3">polygamomonoecious</a>). <a href="/facts/Nectary/Y784ExfM">Nectaries</a> are not found in any species within the family. There are always three <a href="/facts/Sepal/rFYnXN4d">sepals</a>, although they may be equal or unequal, unfused or basally fused, petal-like or green. Likewise, there are always three petals, but these may be equal or in two forms, free or basally fused, white or coloured. The petals are sometimes clawed, meaning they narrow to stalk at the base where they attach to the rest of the flower. There are almost always six stamens in two whorls, but these occur in a myriad of arrangements and forms. They may be all fertile and equal or unequal, but in many genera two to four are <a href="/facts/Staminodes/44XDV0IQ">staminodes</a> (i.e. infertile, non-pollen producing stamens). Staminodes can alternate with the fertile stamens or they can all occur in the upper or lower hemisphere of the flower. The stalks of the stamens are bearded in many genera, although in some of these only some are bearded while others are hairless. Sometimes one to three stamens are absent altogether. Pollen is usually released from slits that open on the sides of the <a href="/facts/Anther/MzNPVK3D">anthers</a> from top to bottom, but some species have pores that open at the tips.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="phylogeny">Phylogeny</h2> <p>The Commelinaceae is a well supported monophyletic group according to the analysis of Burns <i>et al.</i> (2011).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> The following is a <a href="/facts/Phylogeny/f5vVEpeY">phylogeny</a>, or evolutionary tree, of most of the genera in Commelinaceae based on <a href="/facts/DNA_sequences/qAf4kTee">DNA sequences</a> from the <a href="/facts/Plastid/INesmXK7">plastid</a> gene rbcL<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <table><tbody><tr><td>Family Commelinaceae</td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td>Subfamily Cartonematoideae</td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Cartonema/DS7zDJxE">Cartonema</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td>Subfamily <a href="/facts/Commelinoideae/aIra6yau">Commelinoideae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td>Tribe <a href="/facts/Tradescantieae/8rBDcw5C">Tradescantieae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Tinantia/2afjpbQ5">Tinantia</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Weldenia/cFeFFUrw">Weldenia</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Thyrsanthemum/Iw1pzpn5">Thyrsanthemum</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Elasis/gKqmnFD6">Elasis</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Tradescantia/j8KKjaSL">Tradescantia</a></i> + <i><a href="/facts/Gibasis/PaQq7p7w">Gibasis</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Callisia/uFlc0vmS">Callisia</a></i> + <i><a href="/facts/Tripogandra/kyqEaIXj">Tripogandra</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Amischotolype/9QJxadch">Amischotolype</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Coleotrype/14MelsrD">Coleotrype</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Cyanotis/LBd0Qrup">Cyanotis</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Belosynapsis/9UdEKkUI">Belosynapsis</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Dichorisandra/wwS4lar6">Dichorisandra</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Siderasis/rBYAxh8A">Siderasis</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Cochliostema/pGDdznqg">Cochliostema</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Plowmanianthus/9uBdHTV4">Plowmanianthus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Geogenanthus/W4hI41Pe">Geogenanthus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Palisota/sjlWjFJv">Palisota</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Spatholirion/ufIcXtIE">Spatholirion</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tribe <a href="/facts/Commelineae/WkjXfxol">Commelineae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Commelina/5D8JArBY">Commelina</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Pollia_(plant)/s3q4A91S">Pollia</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Polyspatha/FfxjFFU5">Polyspatha</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Aneilema/mdAdFqd0">Aneilema</a></i> + <i><a href="/facts/Rhopalephora/456nBsdY">Rhopalephora</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Floscopa/Mn0A81qm">Floscopa</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Stanfieldiella/uoTyBP1a">Stanfieldiella</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Buforrestia/tlmcFdjq">Buforrestia</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Murdannia/8m2LElrl">Murdannia</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Anthericopsis/FbbNHb8V">Anthericopsis</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>All <a href="/facts/Clades/XefyYmWn">clades</a> shown have 80% <a href="/facts/Bootstrapping_(statistics)/zCHuBeIz">bootstrap support</a> or better. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_foliage_plant_diseases_(Commelinaceae)/rQvQsxQL">List of foliage plant diseases (Commelinaceae)</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li> Media related to Commelinaceae at Wikimedia Commons</li> <li> Data related to Commelinaceae at Wikispecies</li> <li><a href="http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Commelinaceae">links at CSDL</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070205034659/http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Commelinaceae">Archived</a> 2007-02-05 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Christenhusz, M. J. M.; Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3). Magnolia Press: 201–217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1. <a href="http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/download/phytotaxa.261.3.1/20598" target="_blank">http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/download/phytotaxa.261.3.1/20598</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Faden, Robert B. (1983), "Phytogeography of African Commelinaceae", Bothalia, 4 (3/4): 553–557, doi:10.4102/abc.v14i3/4.1207 <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Brenan, J.P.M. (1966), "The classification of Commelinaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 59 (380): 349–370, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1966.tb00068.x <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Evans, Timothy M.; Faden, Robert B.; Systma, K.J. (2000), "Homoplasy in the Commelinaceae: comparison of different classes of morphological characters", in Wilson, K.L.; Morrison, D.A. (eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Comparative Biology of the Monocots, Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 547–556 <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Faden, Robert B. (2000), "Floral Biology of Commelinaceae", in Wilson, K.L.; Morrison, D.A. (eds.), Monocots: Systematics and Evolution, Melbourne: CSIRO, pp. 309–318 <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Faden, Robert B. (1998), Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants (PDF), vol. 4, Berlin: Springer, pp. 109–128, ISBN 3-540-64061-4 <a href="3-540-64061-4" target="_blank">3-540-64061-4</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Faden, Robert B. (1998), Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants (PDF), vol. 4, Berlin: Springer, pp. 109–128, ISBN 3-540-64061-4 <a href="3-540-64061-4" target="_blank">3-540-64061-4</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Faden, Robert B. (1998), Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants (PDF), vol. 4, Berlin: Springer, pp. 109–128, ISBN 3-540-64061-4 <a href="3-540-64061-4" target="_blank">3-540-64061-4</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Faden, Robert B. (1998), Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants (PDF), vol. 4, Berlin: Springer, pp. 109–128, ISBN 3-540-64061-4 <a href="3-540-64061-4" target="_blank">3-540-64061-4</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Burns, Jean H.; Faden, Robert B.; Steppan, Scott J. (2011). "Phylogenetic Studies in the Commelinaceae Subfamily Commelinoideae Inferred from Nuclear Ribosomal and Chloroplast DNA Sequences". Systematic Botany. 36 (2): 268–276. doi:10.1600/036364411X569471. S2CID 10759303. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Evans, Timothy M.; Sytsma, Kenneth J.; Faden, Robert B.; Givnish, Thomas J. (2003), "Phylogenetic Relationships in the Commelinaceae: II. A Cladistic Analysis of rbcL Sequences and Morphology", Systematic Botany, 28 (2): 270–292, doi:10.1043/0363-6445-28.2.270 (inactive 1 November 2024), JSTOR 3093996{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link) <a href="http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1043/0363-6445-28.2.270" target="_blank">http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1043/0363-6445-28.2.270</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>