Altingiaceae
| Altingiaceae | |
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| Liquidambar styraciflua | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: |
Altingiaceae Lindl. |
| Genus: | Liquidambar (incl. Altingia and Semiliquidambar) |
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See text. |
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| The range of Altingiaceae. | |
See text.
Altingiaceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Saxifragales, are wind-pollinated trees that produce hard, woody fruits containing numerous seeds. The fruits have been studied in considerable detail. They naturally occur in Central America, Mexico, eastern North America, the eastern Mediterranean, China, and tropical Asia. They are often cultivated as ornamentals and many produce valuable wood.
Altingiaceae now consists of the single genus Liquidambar with 15 known species. Previously the genera: Altingia and Semiliquidambar were also recognised, but these 'genera' represent a rapid radiation and have been difficult to separate reliably. Semiliquidambar has recently been shown to be hybrids of species of Altingia and Liquidambar. This result had been expected for some time.Altingia and Liquidambar are known to be paraphyletic and a revision of the family is being prepared. Many of the species are closely related, and distinctions between them are likely to be artificial.
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