Moraceae
| Moraceae Temporal range: 80 Ma Cretaceous - Recent |
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| Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: |
Moraceae Gaudich. |
| Genera | |
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See text. |
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See text.
The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1180 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates. The only synapomorphy within Moraceae is presence of laticifers and milky sap in all parenchymatous tissues, but generally useful field characters include two carpels sometimes with one reduced, compound inconspicuous flowers, and compound fruits. Included are well-known plants such as the fig, banyan, breadfruit, mulberry, and Osage-orange. The 'flowers' of Moraceae are often pseudanthia (reduced inflorescences).
Formerly included within the now defunct order Urticales, recent molecular studies have resulted in its placement within Rosales in a clade called the urticalean rosids that also includes Ulmaceae, Celtidaceae, Cannabaceae and Urticaceae. Cecropia, which has variously been placed in Moraceae, Urticaceae, or their own family, Cecropiaceae, is now included in Urticaceae.
Dioecy (having individuals with separate sexes) appears to be the primitive state in Moraceae.Monoecy has evolved independently at least four times within the family.
The five tribes of Moraceae are: ;Castilleae;Dorstenieae;Ficeae; and Moreae.
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