Capparaceae

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Capparaceae

Capparis spinosa (Caper)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Capparaceae Juss.

genera

See text.

Capparaceae, or the Caper Family, as traditionally circumscribed is a family of flowering plants containing 28 genera and about 700 species of annual or perennial herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or trees, sometimes climbing, scrambling or rarely lianaceous of worldwide distribution. The family (sometimes spelled "Capparidaceae") is named for the genus Capparis.

Capparaceae have long been considered to be closely related to the mustard family, Brassicaceae, in part because both groups produce glucosinolate (mustard oil) compounds. Recent research (Hall et al. 2002) has demonstrated that Capparaceae as traditionally circumscribed are paraphyletic with respect to Brassicaceae, with Cleome and several related genera being more closely related to Brassicaceae than to other Capparaceae. Because of this, the two families are combined under the latter name in the APG II system. Other recent classifications have continued to recognize Capparaceae but with a restricted circumscription, either by including Cleome and its relatives in the segregate family Cleomaceae or by including these genera in Brassicaceae. Several other genera of the traditional Capparaceae are more closely related to other members of the Brassicales, and the relationships of several more remain unresolved (Hall et al. 2004).

Genera recognized in Kubitzki system

Apophyllum F.Muell.
Atamisquea Miers ex Hook. & Arn.
Bachmannia Pax
Belencita H.Karst.
Boscia Lam.
Buchholzia Engl.
Cadaba Forssk.
Capparis L.
Cladostemon A.Braun & Vatke
Cleome L.
Cleomella DC.
Crateva L.
Cristatella Nutt.
Dactylaena Schrad. ex Schult.f.
Dhofaria A.G.Mill.
Dipterygium Decne.
Euadenia Oliv.
Haptocarpum Ule
Isomeris Nutt.
Maerua Forssk.
Morisonia L.
Oxystylis Torr. & Frem.
Podandrogyne Ducke
Puccionia Chiov.
Ritchiea R.Br. ex G.Don
Steriphoma Spreng.
Thilachium Lour.
Wislizenia Engelm.

Genera to be excluded from Capparaceae, according to Kers in Kubitzki

1.Genera that may be capparalean but do not fit within Capparaceae

Forchhammeria Liebm.
Neothorelia Gagnep.
Stixis Lour.
Tirania Pierre

2.Genera that are insufficiently known but whose descriptions indicate that they cannot belong to Capparaceae

Borthwickia W.W.Sm.
Keithia Spreng.
Poilanedora Gagnep.

3.Genera placed in other families

Koeberlinia Zucc. in Koeberliniaceae
Pentadiplandra Baill. in Pentadiplandraceae
Oceanopapaver Guillaumin in Malvaceae sensu lato, subfamily Grewioideae or Tiliaceae, as synonym of Corchorus L.
Physena Noronha ex Thouars in Physenaceae

4.Genera not treated in Kubitzki, but usually regarded as Capparaceae

Buhsia Bunge
Niebuhria DC.
Polanisia Raf.

[edit] References

Hall, J. C., K. J. Sytsma and H. H. Iltis. 2002. Phylogeny of Capparaceae and Brassicaceae based on chloroplast sequence data. American Journal of Botany 89: 1826-1842 (abstract here).
Hall, J. C., H. H. Iltis and K. J. Sytsma. 2004. Molecular phylogenetics of core Brassicales, placement of orphan genera Emblingia, Forchhammeria, Tirania, and character evolution. Systematic Botany 29: 654-669 (abstract here).
Kers, L. E. (2003). Capparaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (Series Editor):The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Vol.5: K. Kubitzki & C. Bayer (Volume Editors).Springer-Verlag Berlin, 36-56. ISBN 3-540-42873-9
Takhtajan, A. (1997). Diversity and classification of flowering plants. ISBN 0-231-10098-1