Botany: 5 genera, 25 species; tropical or warm temperate; woody; leaves alternate, toothed margins; inflorescence cymose; bases of the calyx, corolla and stamens are fused in a hypanthium; ovary is unilocular, two ovules per carpel.
TaxonomyHuerteales is a new, small Order in
Malvidae in the
Apg3 classification.
Huerteales was also named Dipentodontales. It consists mostly of formerly difficult to place plants and families. Their true relationships have been found only in the twenty-first century with molecular phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences.
Huerteales is closely related to the
Malvales and
Brassicales Orders.
The morphology, anatomy and secondary chemistry of the whole group are badly in need of detailed investigation. Overall, the flowers of
Huerteales seem to be rather similar, although there is variation in androecial position in particular.
Gerrardinaceae and Petenaeaceaeare are associated;
Tapisciaceae is associated with
Dipentodontaceae.
Thymelaeaceae and
Neuradaceae are early diverging lineages of
Malvales.
Thymelaeaceae have been placed in
Myrtales in the past.
In this
Plant theory Huerteales in placed in
Phase 2. Little is known about these plants.
Thymelaeaceae and
Neuradaceae are split off from
Malvales and included in
Huerteales,
Phase 2.
The placement in
Subphases is difficult as from most families nothing is known in homeopathy, except
Thymelaeaceae. From the point of view of the
Plant theory it might turn out that a division of
Thymelaeaceae into several families and a combination of some smaller families would be better.
Subphases1.
Gerrardinaceae.
2.
Petenaeaceae.
3.
Tapisciaceae.
4.
Dipentodontaceae.
6.
Thymelaeaceae.
7.
Neuradaceae.
FamiliesDipentodontaceae: Dipentodon, Perrottetia; Dipentodon was formerly placed in
Celastraceae,
Flacourtiaceae and later in
Salicaceae.
Gerrardinaceae: Gerrardina; dd
Flacourtiaceae or
Salicaceae.
Neuradaceae: Grielum, Neurada, Neuradopsis.
Petenaeaceae: 1 species, Petenaea cordata from Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize; formerly placed in
Elaeocarpaceae and later in
Tiliaceae.
Tapisciaceae: Huertea, Tapiscia; Huertea was formerly placed in
Staphyleaceae, order
Crossosomatales or
Sapindales.
Thymelaeaceae: 50 genera; 898 species; including
Aquilariaceae.