Bixaceae

Bixaceae Kunth, Malvac., Buttner., Tiliac. 17. 1822. nom. cons. 'Bixa Family'

Salient Features

Members are trees to rhizomatous herbs with red or orange juice in secretary cells.
Leaves in spirals, palmate, palmately lobed to simple.
Flowers large, in terminal racemes or panicles, bisexual.
Stamens numerous, centrifugal, nectary-disc intrastaminal or stamens on it.
Gynoecium of 2-5 syncarpous carpels.
Fruit a loculicidal capsule.

Diversity:

World- 4 genera, 23 species (The Plant List 2013); 4 genera, 23 species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016); 4 genera, 21 species (Mabberley 2017); 1 genus, 5 species (CoL 2021)
India - 2 genera, 2 species (Karthikeyan 2000; BSI, 2021))
Indian Himalaya- 2 genera, 2 species (Singh et al. 2019)
Uttarakhand - 1 genus, 1 species (Uniyal et al. 2007)

General Characters:

Bixaceae in Watson & Dallwitz (1992 onwards)
Bixaceae in Stevens (2001 onwards)
Bixaceae in POWO 2021 (Plants of the World Online)
Bixaceae in Wikipedia

Systematic Position of Family in Different Systems of Classifications:

Systematic position in 2-Superkingdom, 7-Kingdom classification of Ruggiero et al. (2015)

Super Kingdom- Eukaryota, Kingdom- Plantae, Subkingdom- Viridiplantae, Infrakingdom- Streptophyta, Superphylum- Embryophyta, Phylum- Tracheophyta, Subphylum- Spermatophytina, Superclass- Angiospermae, Class- Magnoliopsida, Superorder- Rosanae, Order- Malvales

Bentham & Hooker (1862-83)

Class : Dicotyledons
Subclass : Polypetalae
Series : Thalamiflorae
Orders : Parietales

Engler & Prantl (1887-1915)

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Embryophyta Siphonogama
Subdivision : Angiospermae
Class : Dicotyledoneae
Subclass : Archichlamydeae
Order : Parietales
Suborder : Cistineae

Hutchinson (1973)

Phylum : Angiospermae
Subphylum : Dicotyledones
Division : Lignosae
Order : Bixales

Cronquist (1988)

Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Dillenidae
Order : Violales

Thorne & Reveal (2007)

Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Malvidae
Super Order: Malvanae
Order : Malvales
Suborder : Cochlospermineae

Takhtajan (2009)

Phylum : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Dilleniidae
Super Order : Malvanae
Order : Malvales

Reveal (2012)

Class : Equisetopsida
Subclass : Magnoliidae
Super Order : Myrtanae
Order : Malvales
Suborder : Cochlospermineae

APG-IV (2016)

Clade : Angiosperms
Clade : Eudicots
Clade : Core Eudicots
Clade : Superrosids
Clade : Rosids
Clade : Malvids
Order : Malvales

Shipunov (2020)

Class : Angiospermae
Subclass : Rosidae
Super Order : Malvanae
Order : Malvales

Genera & Species in Pantnagar

To see larger images please click on the names

Cultivated Flora

Bixa orellana L.

Vernacular name: Annato, Achiote (English); Sinduri, Latkan (Hindi)

Nativity: Mexico to South Tropical America (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Evergreen shrub or small tree. Leaves large, ovate. Flower upright, pinkish. Fruit red, spiny, ovoid, 2 valved.

Flowering period: October to December

Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cuttings and seeds (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ MRDC