Malpighiaceae Juss., Gen. Pl.: 252. 1789 nom. cons.

Figs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Type species.

Malpighia glabra L.

Description.

Trees, shrubs, subshrubs (erect, monopodial or scandent) or lianas, monoecious, rarely functionally dioecious or androdioecious, perennial; hairs unicellular, foot present, conspicuous or not, 2 - branched (malpighiaceous), T-, Y- or V-shaped, rarely acicular or stellate, branches straight, undulate, or curled, surface smooth, rough or spiny (Fig. 2). Roots fibrous or tuberous, generally becoming woody with age. Xylopodium present or not. Branches woody, rarely herbaceous, lenticelate or not. Stipules present, rarely absent, inter- or epipetiolar, minute to expanded, free to connate, pair of stipules free or connate, deciduous or persistent (Fig. 3 E – H). Leaves opposite, decussate, rarely verticillate, ternate, subopposite or alternate (Fig. 3 A – D), petiolate; petioles short to very long (Fig. 3 L – N), circular, plane-convex to canaliculate (Fig. 3 I – K) in cross-section, usually glandular (Fig. 3 O-S); blades simple, entire, rarely lobed (Fig. 4 I – K), usually glandular, margin plane to revolute (Fig. 4 O, P), entire, sometimes dentate, crenate or lobulate, glabrous, ciliate or pubescent (Fig. 4 I – N). Inflorescences solitary or compound, terminal to axillary, pedunculate, rarely sessile (Fig. 5 A); flowers arranged in a 1 – multi-flowered cincinnus (Fig. 5 B), cincinni opposite to alternate, usually pedunculate (Fig. 5 C), rarely sessile, solitary or arranged in 2–5 - degrees of ramification into thyrses, corymbs, umbels, or dichasia (Fig. 6); leaves associated with the inflorescences similar to vegetative leaves but reduced in size (Fig. 6 D); cincinni bract 1, minute to expanded, plane or concave, persistent, rarely deciduous, glandular or eglandular (Fig. 7 A – I); bracteoles 2, opposite or alternate, usually inserted at the apex of peduncles, rarely subapical, medial or basal, minute to expanded, plane or concave, persistent, rarely deciduous, glandular or eglandular (Fig. 7 A – I). Flowers chasmogamous, rarely cleistogamous, bisexual, rarely unisexual, zygomorphic, rarely actinomorphic, hypogynous, rarely perigynous (Fig. 7 Q); pedicel well-developed, rarely absent or inconspicuous, straight, rarely circinate (Fig. 7 D – F); sepals 5 (– 7), free to connate at base, imbricate in bud, rarely valvate, erect, rarely deflexed, apex erect to revolute, persistent in fruit, usually not accrescent in fruit, rarely accrescent, abaxially (0 –) 1–2 (– many) - glandular, sometimes the anterior sepal eglandular, rarely all sepals eglandular (Fig. 7 J – L), glands multicellular, usually sessile (Fig. 8 C), rarely pedunculate (Fig. 8 C), secreting oil (Fig. 8 B), rarely nectar (Fig. 8 A); petals 5 (– 7), free, imbricate in bud, rarely valvate, clawed, patent (Fig. 8 O) or deflexed (Fig. 8 J), usually yellow (Fig. 8 F – J), sometimes white (Fig. 8 C, E, K), pink (Fig. 8 A, L, Y), orange (Fig. 8 M) or red (Fig. 8 T), rarely green, lilac (Fig. 8 Z) or purple, usually changing colour after pollination, the posterior petal usually differing from the 4 lateral ones in size, colour, shape and / or presence of glands, limb generally crumpled in bud, plane, concave or cucullate at anthesis, margin entire (Fig. 8 U), erose (Fig. 8 V), denticulate (Fig. 8 X), fimbriate (Fig. 8 W), or glandular-fimbriate (Fig. 8 Y); androecium with (3–5 – 6 –) 10 stamens (Fig. 9 D – G), in two whorls, fertile stamens (2–6 –) 10 (Fig. 9 E), staminodes 0 (– 2–5; Fig. 9 F, G), filaments free (Fig. 9 G) or connate (Fig. 9 D, E) at base, rarely connate up to the middle, short to long, glabrous (Fig. 9 E), rarely pubescent (Fig. 9 F), homo- (Fig. 9 E) or heteromorphic (Fig. 9 D), anthers basifixed (Fig. 9 A), connectives minute or expanded (Fig. 9 A, B), usually glandular (secreting non-volatile oils, rarely essential oils; Fig. 9 B), with or without an apical projection, glabrous (Fig. 9 E) to pubescent (Fig. 9 D), thecae 2, parallel, rarely divergent at base and connivant at apex, apex free, rarely confluent, rimose (Fig. 9 A), rarely poricidal; gynoecium superior, (1–2 –) 3 - carpelate (Fig. 9 H), all fertile, rarely 1 abortive, carpels syncarpic, rarely basally syncarpic and apically apocarpic, locules 1 - ovulate, ovules pendulous, anatropous, styles (1–2 –) 3 (Fig. 9 L, M), free, rarely connate, basal, lateral, subapical or apical, straight (Fig. 9 L), curved (Fig. 9 O) or lyrate (Fig. 9 N, P), apex subulate (Fig. 9 K), cylindrical (Fig. 9 L), laterally flattened, truncate (Fig. 9 J) or uncinate (Fig. 9 I), rarely expanded (Fig. 9 N, P), stigmas terminal (Fig. 9 L, M) or lateral (i. e., facing the centre of the flower or the posterior petal; Fig. 9 I, N, P), subulate (Fig. 9 K), punctiform (Fig. 9 K), capitate (Fig. 9 L) or crateriform (Fig. 9 I). Fruits dry (Fig. 10 O – W) or fleshy (Fig. 10 A – N), schizocarps (Fig. 10 O – W), nuts (Fig. 10 B – D) or drupes (Fig. 10 A, E – N), glabrous or pubescent, mericarps (1–2 –) 3, indehiscent or splitting at maturity, smooth (Fig. 10 O – S), setose (Fig. 10 T – W), or winged (Fig. 11 A – M), when winged mericarps with 1 dorsal (Fig. 11 A – E) and / or 1 – several lateral (Fig. 11 F – M) wings, free (Fig. 11 F – H, J – M) or connate (Fig. 11 I). Seeds 1 per locule (Fig. 10 A), globose or ovoid (Fig. 10 A), smooth (Fig. 10 A) to rugose, without endosperm; embryo curved, bent or spiralled. Chromosome number n = 6–10.

Notes.

Malpighiaceae is here circumscribed with two subfamilies, 12 tribes, 72 genera, and 1,499 species accepted (Table 1; Suppl. material 1). From this total, 60 genera and 715 species are currently under some kind of extinction threat (Bachman et al. 2024), representing 84.5 % of the accepted genera and 47.82 % of the species in our study (Suppl. material 1). Most of Malpighiaceae ’ s diversity is confined to the American continent, with 55 genera (53 endemic) and 1,274 species (1,272 endemic), and just 15 genera (13 endemic) and 125 species (123 endemic) in Africa, seven genera (four endemic) and 84 species (77 endemic) in Asia, and four genera (all not endemic) and 21 species (19 endemic) in Oceania (Suppl. material 1). Most threatened species are found in the Americas (564 species), with 86 threatened species in Africa, 57 in Asia, and 12 in Oceania (Suppl. material 1). Five African genera, more specifically endemic to Madagascar (i. e., Digoniopterys, Madagasikaria, Microsteira, Philgamia, and Rhynchophora) stand out, with all their current accepted species under some kind of extinction threat (Suppl. material 1). Mcvaughia was the only American genus to present all its species under some kind of extinction threat (Suppl. material 1). Malpighia was the American genus with most species under some kind of extinction threat (Suppl. material 1). Hiptage was the genus with highest number of threatened species in Asia, and Stigmaphyllon was the most threatened in Oceania (Suppl. material 1).

Identification keys for all subfamilies, tribes, and genera are presented, alongside a full morphological description for the proposed new genus, the recircumscription of ten genera accompanied by the needed new combinations, the proposition of several new synonyms, typification of miscellaneous names and notes on conservation, distribution, ecology, and taxonomy up to the genus rank.