Fagaceae
| Beech family | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Holm oak (Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: |
Fagaceae Dumort. |
| Genera | |
|
Castanea - chestnuts |
|
 |
|
| The range of Fagaceae. | |
Castanea - chestnuts
Castanopsis
Chrysolepis - golden chinkapin
Colombobalanus
Fagus - beeches
Formanodendron
Lithocarpus - stone oaks
Notholithocarpus
Quercus - oaks
Trigonobalanus
Fagaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes beeches and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. The Fagaceae are deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, characterized by alternate simple leaves with pinnate venation, unisexual flowers in the form of catkins, and fruit in the form of cup-like (cupule) nuts. Their leaves are often lobed and both petioles and stipules are generally present. Leaf characteristics of Fagaceae can be very similar to those of Rosaceae and other rose motif families. Their fruits lack endosperm and lie in a scaly or spiny husk that may or may not enclose the entire nut, which may consist of one to seven seeds. In the oaks, genus Quercus, the fruit is a non-valved nut (usually containing one seed) called an acorn. The husk of the acorn in most oaks only forms a cup in which the nut sits. Fagaceae is one of the most ecologically important woody plant families in the Northern Hemisphere, as oaks form the backbone of temperate forests in North America, Europe, and Asia and one of the most significant sources of wildlife fodder.
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Wikipedia