Commelinoideae is a
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
of
monocotyledonous plants in the dayflower family (
Commelinaceae). It is one of two subfamilies within the Commelinaceae and includes 39 genera (out of 41 in the family) and all but 12 of the family's several hundred known species. The subfamily is further broken down into two
tribes, the
Tradescantieae, which includes 26 genera and about 300 species, and the
Commelineae, which contains 13 genera and about 350 species.
The Commelinoideae is separated
morphologically from the other subfamily,
Cartonematoideae, in having glandular microhairs, arteries containing needle-like
calcium oxalate
Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...
crystals called
raphide canals in between the veins of the leaves, and flowers that are virtually never both yellow and
actinomorphic.
also supports the separation of the two subfamilies.
Phylogeny
The following is a
phylogeny, or evolutionary tree, of most of the genera in Commelinoideae based on
DNA sequences from the
plastid
The plastid (Greek: πλαστός; plastós: formed, molded – plural plastids) is a membrane-bound organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. They are considered to be intracellular endosy ...
gene rbcL
[
]
References
Bibliography
* Jean H. Burns, Robert B. Faden, and Scott J. Steppan. (2011) Phylogenetic Studies in the Commelinaceae Subfamily Commelinoideae Inferred from Nuclear Ribosomal and Chloroplast DNA Sequences. ''Systematic Botany'' 36(2): 268–276.
*
Commelinaceae
Commelinid subfamilies
{{Commelinales-stub