This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Geraniales is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Geraniales | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Geranium palustre
|
||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Families (APG II) | ||||||||
|
Geraniaceae (geranium family) |
The Geraniales are a small order of flowering plants, included within the rosid subgroup of dicotyledons. The largest family in the order is the Geraniaceae with over 800 species. In addition, the order includes some small families, contributing together another less than 40 species. Most Geraniales are herbaceous, but there are also shrubs and small trees.
The economic importance of Geraniales is low. Some species of the genus Pelargonium are cultivated for their aromatic oil used in the perfume industry. Some other species, also mostly Geraniaceae, have horticultural or medicinal uses.
Paleobotanic record is missing.
Classification
The families given at right are typical of newer classifications. In this definition, Hypseocharitaceae and Francoaceae with Greyiaceae are included within Geraniaceae and Melianthaceae respectively, but may also be treated separately. Instead, the Ledocarpaceae may be included within the Vivianiaceae.
Under the Cronquist system, the Geraniales had a different composition, comprising the following families:
- Family Geraniaceae
- Family Oxalidaceae
- Family Limnanthaceae
- Family Tropaeolaceae
- Family Balsaminaceae
The Vivianiaceae and Ledocarpaceae were included within the Geraniaceae, and the Hypseocharitaceae within the Oxalidaceae, which are now treated in the order Oxalidales. The Melianthaceae were placed within the Sapindales, the Greyiaceae and Francoaceae within the Rosales, the latter subsumed within the Saxifragaceae.
References
- Bakker, F. T. (December 2002). Geraniales (Geranium). In: Nature Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Nature Publishing Group, London. (Available online: DOI | ELS site)
- B. C. J. du Mortier (1829). Analyse des Familles de Plantes : avec l'indication des principaux genres qui s'y rattachent, 42. Imprimerie de J. Casterman, Tournay.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Geraniales |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 14 November 2008, at 00:06.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Geraniales".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.