Ecdeiocoleaceae

Taxonomy

Family name: Ecdeiocoleaceae D. F. Cutler & Airy Shaw

Synonym(s): [none]

Common name(s): ecdeiocolea family

*Number of genera/species: 2/3

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

Disseminule

fruit or seed

Description

Fruit an achene (Ecdeiocolea), globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
, angledangular:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles  
in transection, tepalstepal:
a member of the perianth, when it cannot be differentiated into a calyx and corolla
, pedicelpedicel:
the stalk of a flower
, and stylestyle:
in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary; sometimes persisting in fruit
persistent, stylestyle:
in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary; sometimes persisting in fruit
forms a beakbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
in E. rigens. In Georgeantha, fruits are globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
, loculicidalloculicidal:
type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal)
capsulescapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
, angledangular:
2D shape—having sides that meet at acute or obtuse angles  
in transection, and with prominently thickened valvevalve:
in fruits, one of the parts into which a fruit separates at maturity
margins. Fruits 2.5–4 mm long. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
brown, smooth or wrinkledwrinkled:
surface relief—shallow, irregular folds and furrows covering the surface; appearing overall though crumpled and then spread out
(E. rigens). 

Seeds ellipsoidellipsoid:
3D shape—elliptic
, 1.5–2 mm long, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
in transection, reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
.

Embryo minute, straight.

Endosperm copious.

Identification features

Fruit
Type	acheneachene: a dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, with seed attached to pericarp at a single point, derived from a single, superior, simple or compound, one-loculed ovary
Size range	2.5–4 mm long
Shape(s)	globoseglobose: 3D shape—more or less spherical
Surface relief	smooth or wrinkledwrinkled: surface relief—shallow, irregular folds and furrows covering the surface; appearing overall though crumpled and then spread out
Color(s)	brown
Unique features	Small achenesachene: a dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, with seed attached to pericarp at a single point, derived from a single, superior, simple or compound, one-loculed ovary or 3-locular capsulescapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary with a few strongly reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces seeds.
Seed
Size range	1.5–2 mm long
Shape(s)	ellipsoidellipsoid: 3D shape—elliptic
Surface relief	reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
Unique features	Small, strongly reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces seeds with minute embryos and copious endosperm.
Other
Embryo	minute, straight
Nutritive tissue	endosperm copious

Distribution

Southwestern Australia.

Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.

References

Baskin and Baskin 2021Baskin and Baskin 2021:
Baskin C and Baskin J. 2021. Relationship of the lateral embryo (in grasses) to other monocot embryos: A status up-grade. Seed Science Research 31 (3): 199-210. doi:10.1017/S0960258521000209; Briggs and Johnson 1998Briggs and Johnson 1998:
Briggs BG and Johnson LAS. 1998. Georgeantha hexandra , a new genus and species of Ecdeiocoleaceae (Poales) from Western Australia. Telopea: Journal of Plant Systematics 7 (4): 307-312.; Dahlgren et al. 1985Dahlgren et al. 1985:
Dahlgren RMT, Clifford HT, and Yeo PF. 1985. The families of the monocotyledons: structure, evolution, and taxonomy. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 520 pp.; Flora of Australia 2021+Flora of Australia 2021+:
Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Accessed January 2021–March 2024. URL: http://www.ausflora.org.au; Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020-January 2022. URL: https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm .; Kubitzki et al. 1990+Kubitzki et al. 1990+:
Kubitzki K et al., eds. 1990+. The families and genera of vascular plants. 7+ vols. Berlin etc.; Stevenson and Loconte 1995Stevenson and Loconte 1995:
Stevenson DW and Loconte H. 1995. A cladistic analysis of monocot families. In: Rudall PJ, Cribb PJ, Cutler DF, and Humphries CJ, eds. Monocotyledons: Systematics and Evolution. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.; Thiselton-Dyer 1897Thiselton-Dyer 1897:
Thiselton-Dyer WT. 1897. Flora capensis: being a systematic description of the plants of the Cape colony, Caffraria, amp; Port Natal (and neighbouring territories). Vol. 7. L. Reeve, Kent UK. 791 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.821

*The number of genera and species is based on Christenhusz and Byng 2016Christenhusz and Byng 2016:
Christenhusz MJM and Byng JW. 2016. The number of known plant species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa 261 (3): 201-217. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.