Macarthuriaceae is a family of plants in the order Caryophyllales and consists of a single genus, Macarthuria.
Macarthuriaceae | |
---|---|
Macarthuria australis Hügel ex Endl.[4] | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Macarthuriaceae Christenh.[1][2] |
Type genus | |
Macarthuria | |
Genera | |
Macarthuriaceae are rigid or wiry, rush-like herbs or subshrubs with green stems and reduced leaves.[2][5] The small flowers have five perianth members, sometimes also five "petals", and eight stamens fused at the base.[5]
In 2009, Macarthuria was placed with Limeum in the Limeaceae, based on its morphology, but at that time no molecular material of Macarthuria had been examined.[6] Prior to this, Endress and Bittrich had placed it in the family Molluginaceae.[7] However, in 2011, molecular evidence was published, showing that Macarthuria is sister to all core Caryophyllales.[8][9] Thus, Macarthuria needed to be placed in a family of its own, Macarthuriaceae.[2][1]