Bruniaceae

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Bruniales

Familia: Bruniaceae
Tribus: Audouinieae – Brunieae – Linconieae
Genera: Audouinia – Berzelia – Brunia – Linconia – Staavia – Thamnea
Name

Bruniaceae R.Br. ex DC., Prodr. 2: 43. (1825) nom. cons.

Type genus: Brunia Lam., Encycl. 1(2): 474. (1785) nom. cons. against Brunia L. (1753), nom. rej.

References

Brown, R. 1825. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 2: 43.
Classen-Bockhoff, R., Oliver, E.G.H., Hall, A.V. & Quint, M. 2011. A new classification of the South African endemic family Bruniaceae based on molecular and morphological data. Taxon 60(4): 1138–1155. DOI: 10.1002/tax.604016 JSTOR Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2019. Bruniaceae. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2019 July 3. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Bruniaceae. Published online. Accessed: July 3 2019.

Vernacular names
suomi: Bruniakasvit
русский: Бруниевые
中文: 绒球花科
Bruniaceae is a family of shrubs native to the cape region of South Africa. They are mostly restricted to the Cape Province, but a small number of species occur in KwaZulu-Natal.[2]

Description

Species belonging to the Bruniaceae are heath-like shrubs. They have small, hard, scaly leaves that are alternate but regularly set and overlapping. A distinct character is the minute black tip of the leaves when these are young. The inflorescence is a dense spike or spherical flowerhead with up to 400 flowers at the end of the stems. Individual flowers are tube-shaped and hermaphrodite, there are five sepals which may be free or connected at their rim, while the ovary sits under the other parts of the flower. The fruit is dry when ripe, opens with two or four valves and contains fleshy seeds.[3]
Taxonomy

In the APG II taxonomy they are placed in the order Lamiales,[4] but a 2008 study suggested that they are sister to the Columelliaceae,[5] and the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website proposes incorporating this finding by placing both families in order Bruniales.[2]
Genera

There are twelve genera, totalling 77 species:[6]

Audouinia Brongn.
Berzelia Brongn.
Brunia Lam.
Linconia L.
Lonchostoma Wikstr.
Mniothamnea (Oliv.) Nied.
Nebelia Neck. ex Sweet
Pseudobaeckea Nied.
Raspalia Brongn.
Staavia Dahl
Thamnea Sol. ex Brongn.
Tittmannia Brongn.

References

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x.
"Asterales".
M. Koekemoer, H.M. Steyn & S.P. Bester. "Bruniaceae". Guide to Plant Families of southern Africa. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2003). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 141 (4): 399–436. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x.
Winkworth, Richard C.; Lundberg, Johannes; Donoghue, Michael J. (2008). "Toward a resolution of Campanulid phylogeny, with special reference to the placement of Dipsacales". Taxon. 57 (1): 53–65.
"Brunia noduliflora". www.plantzafrica.com. Retrieved 26 March 2021.