The Melianthaceae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s. The APG II system includes them within the rosid clade. All members of Melianthaceae proper are

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s or

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

s found in tropical and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Francoaceae (the Bridal wreaths) are sometimes included in the family, a family consisting of two monotypic genera found in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

Classification

The family Greyiaceae is merged into Melianthaceae in the APG II system. The family Francoaceae is optionally included within Melianthaceae. Melianthaceae ''sensu stricto'' * '' Bersama'' - 8 species * '' Melianthus'' - 6 species Greyiaceae (included in Melianthaceae) * ''

Greyia ''Greyia'' is a genus of plant in family Francoaceae. It contains three species: * '' Greyia flanaganii'', Bolus * '' Greyia radlkoferi'' * '' Greyia sutherlandii'' Unlike other plants sometimes included in the family Melianthaceae, ''Greyia'' ...

'' - three species Francoaceae (sometimes included, sometimes a separate family) * ''

Francoa ''Francoa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Francoaceae, which consists of herbaceous perennials endemic to Chile. Plants may grow up to one metre high and produce basal clumps of round, deeply lobed, dark green, fuzzy leaves with wi ...

'' - three species * '' Tetilla hydrocotylefolia'' - a single species

References

Geraniales Rosid families Historically recognized angiosperm families {{Geraniales-stub