Basellaceae

Taxonomy

Basellaceae Moquin-Tandon

Common name: Basella Family.

Number of genera: 4 genera.

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 15 species.

Disseminule

Fruit (intact or entire).

Description

Fruits: Pistil(s) simple, or compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit anthocarp; simple; acrosarcum (Basella alba L.), or diclesium (Ullucus tuberosus Caldas); without persistent central column; within accessory organ(s); within perianth (Basella alba L.), or sepals (Ullucus tuberosa Caldas with drawings & of Anredea); with 3-carpellate (becoming at maturity 1-carpeled with 1 seed); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; apex not beaked; indehiscent. Epicarp durable; without armature; with wing(s), or without wing(s); 2-winged (Anredera); with wing(s) lateral; without apical respiratory hole. Endocarp absent. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.

Seeds: Aril absent. Seed larger than minute; circular; in transection terete; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with perisperm, or endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; without glands; without bristles; without wings; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; membranous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding embryo. Raphe inconspicuous. Endosperm development nuclear. Perisperm copious, or scanty (Basella with coiled embryo); with starch; with starch composed of clustered grains; opaque. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve); at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; peripheral; flatly coiled (circinate), or annular; 90% annular, or 100% annular, or 150% annular; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; 0.5–0.7 times length of embryo; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; foliaceous; moderately thick; circinate; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed; coiled; not thickened.

Habitat and crop association

Noxious weeds: 1 or more USA state noxious weeds in this family.

USA states and territories with listed noxious weeds: Hawaii (HI).

USA state and territory noxious weeds: 

Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis: USA state noxious weed: HI●. 

Symbols: ªaquatic weed; ●terrestrial weed; °weed in seed. 
Last updated February 2006.
 

Distribution

General distribution: Pantropical and pansubtropical. New World and Old World (mostly New World).

Detailed distribution: North America to Oceania.

References

General references: Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, 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. & C.A. Ritchie. 1988. Identification of disseminules listed in the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1719:1–313, 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, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.