Cunoniaceae
Cunoniaceae is a family of 27 genera and about 300 species of woody plants in the order Oxalidales, mostly found in the tropical and wet temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere.
The greatest diversity of genera are in Australia and Tasmania, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. The family is also present in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Malesia, the island of the South Pacific, Madagascar and surrounding islands. the family is absent from mainland Asia except from Peninsular Malaysia, and almost absent from mainland Africa apart from two species from Southern Africa. Several of the genera have remarkable disjunct ranges, found on more than one continent, e.g. Cunonia, Eucryphia Weinmannia sect. Weinmannia.
The family includes trees and shrubs; most are evergreen but a few are deciduous. The leaves are opposite or whorled, and simple or compound, with entire or toothed margin, and often with conspicuous stipules. The flowers have four or five sepals and petals. The fruit is usually a woody capsule or a follicle containing several small seeds.
The family has a rich fossil record in Australia and fossil representatives are known in the Northern Hemisphere. Platydiscus peltatus was found in Upper Cretaceous rocks from Sweden and is likely a member of the Cunoniaceae. An earlier possible fossil member is from the Cenomanian. Tropidogyne, found in Burmese amber, has flowers that strongly resemble the extant Ceratopetalum.Classification
Tribe SpiraeanthemeaeTribe Schizomerieae- Anodopetalum
- Ceratopetalum
- Schizomeria
- Platylophus
Tribe Geissoieae- Geissois
- Karrabina
- Lamanonia
- Pseudoweinmannia
Tribe Caldcluvieae- Ackama
- Caldcluvia
- Opocunonia
- Spiraeopsis
Tribe CodieaeTribe Cunonieae- Cunonia
- Pancheria
- Vesselowskya
- Weinmannia
Unplaced to tribe- Acrophyllum
- Aistopetalum
- Bauera
- Davidsonia
- Eucryphia
- Hooglandia
- Gillbeea
