Bombacaceae

Bombax ceiba ower

Bombacaceae were long recognised as a family of owering plants or Angiospermae. The family name was based
on the type genus Bombax. As is true for many botanical names, circumscription and status of the taxon has varied
with taxonomic point of view, and currently the preference is to transfer most of the erstwhile family Bombacaceae
to the subfamily Bombacoideae within the family Malvaceae in the order Malvales. The rest of the family were
transferred to other taxa, notably the new family Durionaceae. Irrespective of current taxonomic status, many of the
species originally included in the Bombacaceae are of considerable ecological, historical, horticultural, and economic
importance, such as balsa, kapok, baobab and durian.
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2 GENERA

Current taxonomy

Recent phylogenetic research has shown that Bombacaceae as traditionally circumscribed (including tribe Durioneae)
is not a monophyletic group. Bombacaceae is no longer recognized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group I 1998, II
2003 and Kubitzki system 2003 at the rank of family, the bulk of the taxa in question being treated as subfamilies
Bombacoideae and Helicteroideae within family Malvaceae sensu lato. A close relationship between Bombacaceae
and Malvaceae has long been recognized but until recently the families have been kept separate in most classication
systems, and continue to be separated in many references, including the reference work in classication of owering
plants: Heywood et al. 2007 [1] and Takhtajan 2009,[2] but have been lumped together in Angiosperm Phylogeny
Website.[3]
Heywood et al. [1] say although closely related to Malvaceae, molecular data supports their separation. Only pollen
and habit seem to provide a morphological basis for the separation. On the other hand they say: One approach is
to lump them [the families in the core Malvales, including Bombacaceae] all into a 'super' Malvaceae, recognizing
them as subfamilies. The other, taken here, is to recognize each of these ten groups as families.
As circumscribed in its traditional sense, the family Bombacaceae includes around 30 genera (25 genera after Heywood et al. [1] ) with about 250 species of tropical trees, some of considerable girth, so called bottle trees. Many
species grow to become large trees, with Ceiba pentandra the tallest, reaching a height to 70 m. Several of the genera
are commercially important, producing timber, edible fruit or useful bres. The family is noted for some of the softest hardwoods commercially traded, especially balsa, Ochroma lagopus. The fruit of the durian, Durio zibethinus is
famous, tasting better than it smells. At one time the bre from the kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra was used in making
lifebuoys. The baobabs or bottle trees (Adansonia spp.) are important icons in certain parts of Africa, Australia
and Madagascar, noted for their immensely stout trunk development, a mechanism for enhancing water storage.

Genera
Adansonia L.
Aguiaria Ducke
Bernoullia Oliv.
Bombax L.
Catostemma Benth.
Cavanillesia Ruiz & Pav.
Ceiba Mill.
Chiranthodendron Larreat. (according to Kubitzki in subf. Bombacoideae
related to Fremontodendron by Baum et al. 2004 [5] )

[4]

and considered more closely

Eriotheca Schott & Endl.

Fremontodendron Coville (according to Heywood et al.

[1]

Gyranthera Pittier
Huberodendron Ducke
Matisia Bonpl.
Neobuchia Urb.
Ochroma Sw.
Pachira Aubl.
Patinoa Cuatrec.
Pentaplaris L.O.Williams & Standl. (according to Kubitzki in subf. Bombacoideae, but incertae sedis [4] )

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Phragmotheca Cuatrec.
Pseudobombax Dugand
Quararibea Aubl.
Scleronema Benth.
Septotheca Ulbr.
Spirotheca Ulbr. (according to Heywood et al.

[1]

Genera of tribe Durioneae excluded from Bombacaceae after Heywood et al. 2007 and that should be included
in Durionaceae
[1]

Boschia Korth.
Coelostegia Benth.
Cullenia Wight
Durio Adans.
Kostermansia Soegeng
Neesia Blume
Genus that should be excluded from Bombacaceae after Heywood et al. 2007 and that be included in Malvaceae s. s.[1]
Camptostemon Mast.
Genera considered synonym after Kubitzki 2003 [4]
Bombacopsis Pittier = Pachira Aubl.
Chorisia Kunth = Ceiba Mill.
Rhodognaphalon (Ulbr.) Roberty = Pachira Aubl.
Genus not treated in Kubitzki [4]
Lahia Hassk., synonym of Durio, according to Mabberley [6]

References
[1] Heywood, V. H., Brummitt, R. K., Culham, A. & Seberg, O. (2007). Flowering Plant Families of the World. Richmond
Hill, Ontario, Canada: Firey Books. ISBN 1-55407-206-9.
[2] Takhtajan, Armen (2009). Flowering Plants (Second ed.). Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-9609-9. ISBN 978-1-40209608-2.
[3] Angiosperm Phylogeny Website - Malvales. Missouri Botanical Garden.
[4] Kubitzki, K. & Bayer, C., (2003).The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants Vol. 5: Malvales, Capparales and Nonbetalain Caryophyllales
[5] Baum, D. A., DeWitt Smith, S., Yen, A., Alverson, W. S., Nyeler, R., Whitlock, B. A. & Oldham, R. A. (2004). American
Journal of Botany 91(11):1863-1871.
[6] Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The plant-book (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-41421-0.

Bombacaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards) The families of owering plants: descriptions.
World checklist of malvaceae: 12. Bombacoideae

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4 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text
Bombacaceae Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombacaceae?oldid=729365823 Contributors: Marshman, Jose Ramos, Naddy,
MPF, Tom Radulovich, DanielCD, CanisRufus, Hesperian, HasharBot~enwiki, Melaen, Stemonitis, Vuong Ngan Ha, FlaBot, Eubot,
Gdrbot, YurikBot, NTBot~enwiki, Dysmorodrepanis~enwiki, Brya, EncycloPetey, Rkitko, Berton, MrDarwin, CmdrObot, Slaweks,
JAnDbot, Krasanen, Michael Goodyear, Idioma-bot, TXiKiBoT, FlorisGr, TreuthbringerTorontoft1959, Rei-bot, Fangjian, Rui Gabriel
Correia, Addbot, Yobot, Jonesey95, Jonkerz, EmausBot, Dcirovic, JonRicheld, Plantdrew, BattyBot, Sminthopsis84, BD2412bot and
Anonymous: 7

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Images
File:Bombax-flower-leaf.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Bombax-flower-leaf.jpg License: CCBY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

4.3

Content license
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