English: Ringflower family.
Clades:
Saxifragales;
Saxifragidae;
Malvanae;
Angiospermae;
Plants.
Genera: Medusandra, Soyauxia, Peridiscus, Whittonia; 12 species.
Region: Peridiscus in Venezuela, northern Brazil; Whittonia in Guyana, probably extinct; Medusandra in Cameroon, 2 species; Soyauxia in West Africa, 7 species. Medusandra has two species.
Botany: small trees or erect shrubs of wet tropical forests.
Plant theoryIn the
Plant theory 1
Peridiscaceae ws not placed. In the
Plant theory 2 Peridiscaceae is placed in
Subphase 7, together with
Iteaceae, Cynomoraceae.
TaxonomyPeridiscaceae is a
Family in
Saxifragales.
TaxonomyPeridiscus and Whittonia are clearly close relatives. They and the other two genera have long been considered anomalous, variously classified by different authors. In 2009 they were united into a single family. The relationship in
Saxifragales is unclear. Sometimes they are united with
Hamamelidaceae, or more related to
Saxifragaceae or more as outsiders of
Saxifragales. Bentham placed Peridiscus in
Flacourtiaceae. Daniel Oliver placed Soyauxia in
Passifloraceae.
Plant theoryProbably
Peridiscaceae should be included in Hammalidaceae in
Subphase 7.