Sabiaceae Blume

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Trees, stipules absent; leaves alternate simple or imparipinnate, sometimes heteromorphic; petiole bases sub - woody, petiolules often with pulvini; blade margins dentate or entire; venation pinnate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences terminal or axillary panicles; flowers crowded and nearly sessile, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, hermaphrodite, relatively small; sepals (4-)5, petals (4-)5; androecium of 5 stamens (2 fertile, 3 staminoidal), connective swollen,  anther thecaunilocellate; gynoecium with superior ovary, carpels (2)3, apices distinct or united to form a common style, locules (2)3; placentation axile, ovules usually 2 per carpel, unitegmic

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a drupe with a crustaceous endocarp; seed 1 per fruit, endosperm usually reduced.

Note

Notes on delimitation: Airy Shaw (1966) followed by Takthajan (1997) considered the family not to be natural and separated Meliosmaceae, comprising Meliosma Blume and Ophiocaryon Endl., from Sabiaceae, leaving only Sabia Colebr. Sabiaceae is usually considered in the traditional classification (Warburg 1895, Löfgren 1917, Barroso et al. 1984, Van Beusekom 1971, 1981, Van Beusekom & Water 1989, Cronquist 1981, Gentry 1980, Gunn et al. 1992, Kubitzki 2004, Water 1980). The position of Sabiaceae in the APG classification mains obscure, somewhere among the Lower Eudicots not placed, close to the Proteaceae and Buxaceae (APG 2003), although considerably different morphologically. Meliosma was monographed for the Old World by Van Beusekom (1971). Urban (1900) studied the family in the Neotropics and new species are still being described. Only Sabia does not occur in the Neotropics, and is native in Asia. Taxonomy of Sabiaceae divides opinions about the trimerous or pentamerous origin of its flowers (Gagnepain 1950), but early ontogenetic investigations showed evidence of  a pentamerous origin of Meliosma (Wanntorp and De Craene 2007) supporting the opinion of Warburg (1895), who considered the ontogeny and morphology of Sabiaceae essential to understanding its systematic relations. Number of genera: Two genera: Ophiocaryon and Meliosma.

Distribution

Sabiaceae comprise three genera and nearly 100 species (Gentry 1980, Steyermark & Gentry 1992, Arbeláez, 2004, Aymard & Cuello, 2005). The family was established in 1849 by Blume and is distributed through subtropical and tropical regions of Asia and America (Mabberley 1987, Kubitzki 2004). In tropical America the family includes two genera: Meliosma and Ophiocaryon. Ophiocaryon is South American and has 7 species (Barneby 1972). Meliosma occurs disjunctly in Asia, South and Central America, North to Mexico. Native. Ophiocaryon is restricted to the rainforests of northeastern South America (Amazonia), and Meliosma is an amphi-Pacific genus disjunct between Southeast Asia and tropical America, mostly south of Central America (including Atlantic forest) and Tropical Andes.

Diagnostic

Leaf margins usually serrate and leaves with bases sub-woody. Petiolules often with pulvini. Distinguishing characters (always present): In Sabiaceae the flowers have a distinct morphology with stamens and petals opposite to sepals, and only two fertile stamens. The fruit is a very characteristic single-seeded drupe, round or obovate and distinctly asymmetric with an extremely hard woodyendocarp, often with a median keel. Key to the genera of Neotropical Sabiaceae 1. Pinnately compound leaves; two stigmas .... Ophiocaryon 1. Simple, very rarely pinnately compound leaves; one stigma....  Meliosma Key differences from similar families: Meliosma can be confused with Sapotaceae, but it lacks milky latex. In the Neotropics only M. alba (Schltdl.) Walp. has compound leaves. Ophiocaryon could be confused with Sapindaceae but differs in having a well developed terminalleaflet, in contrast with the rudimentary terminalleaflet in Sapindaceae.