Macarthuriaceae

Macarthuriaceae
Macarthuria australis Hügel ex Endl.[4]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Macarthuriaceae Christenh.[1][2]
Type genus
Macarthuria Hugel ex Endl.[3]
Genera
Macarthuria

Macarthuriaceae is a family of plants in the order Caryophyllales and consists of a single genus, Macarthuria.

Description

Macarthuriaceae are rigid or wiry, rush-like herbs or subshrubs with green stems and reduced leaves.^[2][5] The small flowers have five perianth members, sometimes also five "petals", and eight stamens fused at the base.^[5]

Taxonomy

In 2009, Macarthuria was placed with Limeum in the Limeaceae, based on its morphology, but at that time no molecular material of Macarthuria had been examined.^[6] Prior to this, Endress and Bittrich had placed it in the family Molluginaceae.^[7] However, in 2011, molecular evidence was published, showing that Macarthuria is sister to all core Caryophyllales.^[8][9] Thus, Macarthuria needed to be placed in a family of its own, Macarthuriaceae.^[2][1]

References

1. Stevens, P. F. (July 2017). "Macarthuriaceae (Caryophyllales)". Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
2. Christenhusz, M.J.M.; Brockington, S.F.; Christin, P.-A.; Sage, R.F. (2014). "On the disintegration of Molluginaceae: a new genus and family (Kewa, Kewaceae) segregated from Hypertelis, and placement of Macarthuria in Macarthuriaceae". Phytotaxa. 181 (4): 238. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.181.4.4. ISSN 1179-3163.
3. "Macarthuria". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
4. "Macarthuria australis". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
5. Lepschi, B.J. (1996) A taxonomic revision of Macarthuria (Molluginaceae) in Western Australia. Nuytsia 11: 37-54. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
6. "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. 2009. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. hdl:10654/18083. ISSN 0024-4074.
7. Endress, M.E., & Bittrich, V. (1993) Molluginaceae. Pp. 419-425, in Kubitzki, K., Rohwer, J.G., & Bittrich, V. (eds), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. II. Flowering Plants: Dicotyledons, Magnoliid, Hamamelid and Caryophyllid Families.Springer, Berlin.
8. Brockington, S.F.; Walker, R.H.; Glover, B.J.; Soltis, P.S.; Soltis, D.E. (2011). "Complex pigment evolution in the Caryophyllales". New Phytologist. 190 (4): 854–864. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03687.x. ISSN 0028-646X.
9. Christin, P.-A.; Sage, T.L.; Edwards, E.J.; Ogburn, R.M.; Khoshravesh, R.; Sage, R.F. (2011). "COMPLEX EVOLUTIONARY TRANSITIONS AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF C3-C4 INTERMEDIATE FORMS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN MOLLUGINACEAE". Evolution. 65 (3): 643–660. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01168.x. ISSN 0014-3820.