Moraceae

The Moraceae—often called the mulberry family or fig family—are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species.<ref name="Christenhusz-Byng2016">Template:Cite journal</ref> Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their distribution is cosmopolitan overall. The only synapomorphy within the 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The family includes well-known plants such as the fig, banyan, breadfruit, jackfruit, mulberry, and Osage orange. The 'flowers' of Moraceae are often pseudanthia (reduced inflorescences).

File:Ficus retusa, Moraceae, Bagh-e-Jinnah.jpg

Ficus retusa (Moraceae) in Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore

Description

Overall

The family varies from colossal trees like the Indian Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) which can cover five acres (two hectares) of ground, to Dorstenia barnimiana which is a small stemless, bulbous succulent 2–5 cm in diameter that produces a single peltate leaf on a 4–15 cm petiole. These two species have an approximately one billion fold difference in weight.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Thulin, M. et al. (2008). Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1–4 https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS</ref>

Flowers

The individual flowers are often small, with single whorled or absent perianth. Most flowers have either petals or sepals, but not both, known as monochlamydeae, and have pistils and stamens in different flowers, known as diclinous. Except for Brosimum gaudichaudii and Castilla elastica, the perianth in all species of the Moraceae contain sepals. If the flower has an inflexed stamen, then pollen is released and distributed by wind dispersal; however, if the stamen is straight, then insect pollination is most likely to occur. Insect pollination occurs in Antiaropsis, Artocarpus, Castilla, Dorstenia, Ficus, and Mesogyne.<ref name="Leite, Mansano, Teixeira">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Leaves

The leaves are much like the flowers when analyzing diversity. The leaves can be singly attached to the stem or alternating, they may be lobed or unlobed, and can be evergreen or deciduous depending on the species in question.Template:Citation needed The red mulberry can host numerous leaf types on the same tree. Leaves can be both lobed and unlobed and appear very different, but coexist on the same plant.<ref name = "TWC Staff">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Fruits and seeds

Plant species in the Moraceae are best known for their fruits. Overall, most species produced a fleshy fruit containing seeds. Examples include the breadfruit from Artocarpus altilis, the mulberry from Morus rubra, the fig from Ficus carica, and the jackfruit from Artocarpus heterophyllus.<ref name="Datwyler"/><ref name="Clement">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Taxonomy

Formerly included within the now defunct order Urticales, recent molecular studies have resulted in the family's placement within the Rosales in a clade called the urticalean rosids that also includes Ulmaceae, Celtidaceae, Cannabaceae, and Urticaceae. Cecropia, which has variously been placed in the Moraceae, Urticaceae, or their own family, Cecropiaceae, is now included in the Urticaceae.<ref name="Sytsma">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Dioecy (having individuals with separate sexes) appears to be the primitive state in Moraceae.<ref name="Datwyler">Template:Cite journal</ref> Monoecy has evolved independently at least four times within the family.

Phylogeny

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest these relationships:<ref name="Sytsma"/><ref name="Datwyler"/><ref name="Clement"/><ref name="Zerega">Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Clade

Tribes and genera

Moraceae is comprised 48 genera<ref name = powo/> in seven tribes.<ref>Gardner, E.M., Garner, M., Cowan, R., Dodsworth, S., Epitawalage, N., Arifiani, D., Sahromi, Baker, W.J., Forest, F., Maurin, O., Zerega, N.J.C., Monro, A.K. and Hipp, A. (2021), Repeated parallel losses of inflexed stamens in Moraceae: Phylogenomics and generic revision of the tribe Moreae and the reinstatement of the tribe Olmedieae (Moraceae).Taxon, 70: 946-988. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12526</ref><ref name="Hepworth">Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Div col

• Artocarpeae Template:Small
  • Artocarpus Template:Small (73 spp.)
  • Batocarpus Template:Small (3 spp.)
  • Clarisia Template:Small (4 spp.)
• Chlorophoreae (syn. Maclureae Template:Small)
  • Maclura Template:Small (13 spp.)
• Parartocarpeae
  • Hullettia Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Parartocarpus Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Pseudostreblus Template:Small (1 sp.)
• Olmedieae Template:Small (syn. Castilleae)
  • Antiaris Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Antiaropsis Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Castilla Template:Small (3 spp.)
  • Helicostylis Template:Small (8 spp.)
  • Maquira Template:Small (4 spp.)
  • Mesogyne Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Naucleopsis Template:Small (25 spp.)
  • Olmedia Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Perebea Template:Small (10 spp.)
  • Poulsenia Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Pseudolmedia Template:Small (11 spp.)
  • Sparattosyce Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Streblus Template:Small (5 spp.)
• Dorstenieae Template:Small
  • Bleekrodea Template:Small (3 spp.)
  • Bosqueiopsis Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Brosimum Template:Small (19 spp.)
  • Broussonetia Template:Small (4 spp.)
  • Dorstenia Template:Small (122 spp.)
  • Fatoua Template:Small (3 spp.)
  • Malaisia Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Scyphosyce Template:Small (3 spp.)
  • Sloetia Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Sloetiopsis Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Trilepisium Template:Small (2 sp.)
  • Utsetela Template:Small (2 sp.)
• Ficeae Template:Small
  • Ficus Template:Small (880 spp.)
• Moreae Template:Small
  • Afromorus Template:Small
  • Ampalis Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Bagassa Template:Small (1 sp.)
  • Maillardia Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Milicia Template:Small (2 spp.)
  • Morus Template:Small (17 spp.)
  • Paratrophis Template:Small (12 spp.)
  • Sorocea Template:Small (22 spp.)
  • Taxotrophis Template:Small (6 spp.)
  • Trophis Template:Small (5 spp.)

Other genera accepted by Plants of the World Online Template:As of: Template:Div col

• Allaeanthus Template:Small (4 spp.)
• Calaunia Template:Small (1 sp.)
• Hijmania Template:Small (4 spp.)
• Prainea Template:Small (2 spp.)
• Treculia Template:Small (5 spp.)

Fossil genera and species

In addition to the living species, a number of fossil genera have been ascribed to the family:<ref name="IFPNI2023">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Div col

• Template:ExtinctAginoxylon Template:Small
• Aginoxylon moroides Template:Small
• †Artocarpidium Template:Small
• †Artocarpoides Template:Small
• †Arthmiocarpus Template:Small
• †Artocarpoxylon Template:Small
• †Becktonia Template:Small
  • †Becktonia hantonensis Template:Small
• †Cornerocarpon Template:Small
  • †Cornerocarpon copiosum Template:Small
• †Coussapoites Template:Small
  • †Coussapoites veracruzianus Template:Small
• †Cudranioxylon Template:Small
  • †Cudranioxylon engolismense Template:Small
• †Ficofolium Template:Small
  • †Ficofolium weylandii Template:Small
• †Ficonium Template:Small
  • †Ficonium nitidum Template:Small
  • †Ficonium silesiacum Template:Small
  • †Ficonium solanderi Template:Small
• †Milicioxylon Template:Small
  • †Milicioxylon kachchhense Template:Small
• †Moraceoipollenites Template:Small
• †Moricites Template:Small
• †Moroidea Template:Small
  • †Moroidea baltica Template:Small
  • †Moroidea caucasica Template:Small
  • †Moroidea cretacea Template:Small
  • †Moroidea hordwellensis Template:Small
  • †Moroidea reticulata Template:Small
  • †Moroidea tymensis Template:Small
• †Moroxylon Template:Small
• †Myrianthoxylon Template:Small
  • Myrianthoxylon chaloneri Template:Small
• †Ovicarpum Template:Small
• †Palaeokalopanax Template:Small
  • †Palaeokalopanax kamtschaticus Template:Small
  • †Palaeokalopanax vollosovitschii Template:Small
• †Paleoficus Template:Small
• †Protoficus Template:Small
  • †Protoficus crenulata Template:Small
  • †Protoficus crispans Template:Small
  • †Protoficus dentatus Template:Small
  • †Protoficus insignis Template:Small
  • †Protoficus lacera Template:Small
  • †Protoficus nervosa Template:Small
  • †Protoficus saportae Template:Small
  • †Protoficus sezannensis Template:Small
• †Soroceaxylon Template:Small
  • Soroceaxylon entrerriense Template:Small
• †Ungerites Template:Small (syn Ficoxylon)
  • †Ungerites tropicus Template:Small
• †Welkoetoxylon Template:Small
  • †Welkoetoxylon multiseriatum Template:Small

Evolution

While the fossil record of Moraceae goes back to the late Cretaceous, molecular clock estimates suggest that the family had begun to diversify by the mid-Cretaceous, with some major clades emerging during the Tertiary period.<ref name="Zerega"/>

Distribution

Moraceae can be found throughout the world with a cosmopolitan distribution. The majority of species originate in the Old World tropics, particularly in Asia and the Pacific islands.<ref name = "Zerega et al">Template:Cite journal</ref>

See also

• Barkcloth

External links

• Moraceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.