The Dilleniidae
The Subclass Dilleniidae, includes 13 orders, 78 families and about 25,000 species. About 75% of the species occur in five orders; the Violales (5,000) Capparales (4,000), Ericales (4,000), Theales (3,500) and Malvales (3,000 to 3,500).
A diverse set of flowering plant orders that lacks a distinct set of key characters. General trends or features of the Subclass include:
The
Order Dilleniales
(two families) is placed
at the base of the Dilleniidae and also by Cronquist as a structural
link
to the basal flowering plant subcalss, the Magnoliidae, mainly due to
lack
of connation in the gynoecium, as expressed by the peony (Paeonia
- Paeoniaceae)
as depicted this figure (left) from the Delta family
description. Our coverage of the Subclass Dilleniidae will
include:
Theales
Clusiaceae
(Guttiferae)
Malvales
Malvaceae
Nepenthales
Nepenthaceae
Droseraceae
Sarraceniaceae
Violales
Cucurbitaceae
Salicales
Salicaceae
Capparales
Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)
Ericales
Ericaceae
Monotropaceae
Primulales
Primulaceae