Family Thismiaceae
Description: Saprophytic herbs lacking chlorophyll.
Leaves reduced to scales.
Flowers solitary, terminal, actinomorphic or sometimes zygomorphic. Hypanthium cylindric, urceolate or campanulate, with a circular throat, surrounded by an ornamental rim. Perianth lobes 6, in 2 whorls, inserted at 1 or 2 levels in hypanthium; outer lobes usually spreading, short and thickened or long and ornamental; inner lobes longer and narrower than the outer lobes, sometimes swollen apically or fused to form a mitre; perianth not persistent in fruit. Stamens 6 or 3, pendent, inserted in throat of hypanthium. Style short, thick, 3-branched with 3 stigmas or capitate with a 3-winged stigma. Ovary inferior, 1-locular with free ± parietal placentas; ovules numerous.
Fruit a circumsciss capsule, crowned by persistent hypanthium and style; seeds numerous.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 4 genera, c. 29 species, tropical to temperate regions of America, Africa, South-East Asia, New Guinea, Australia & New Zealand. Australia: 1 genus, 4 species, Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Thismiaceae, Order: Dioscoreales)
Wikipedia Circumscription of families in Dioscorales has been challenging. Broader family circumscriptions were adopted in APG II (2003), based on molecular phylogenetic evidence, with Taccaceae and Trichopodaceae (not in N.S.W.) included in Dioscoreaceae and Thismiaceae included in Burmanniaceae. More recent molecular phylogenetic evidence is conflicting, and we here recognise a narrower concept of Dioscoreaceae, and Thismiaceae and Burmanniaceae as distinct families, in contrast with APG II–APGIV. K.L.Gibbons, 30 June 2023.
Text by D. J. Bedford & A. J. Whalen (1993); edited KL Wilson (Jan 2012; Jan 2015)
Taxon concept: National Herbarium of N.S.W., in contrast to APG IV.
| One genus in NSW: Thismia |
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