A Taxonomic and Morphological Re-Evaluation of Stegnospermaceae (Caryophyllales)

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Abstract
Stegnospermaceae (A. Rich.) Nakai is a monotypic family containing the North American genus Stegnosperma Benth. with three species. Long associated with Phytolaccaceae as a tribe or subfamily, the family has been recognized by some workers as distinct from Phytolaccaceae (Nakai, Hutchinson, Airy Shaw), while other recent students of phylogeny have retained it in Phytolaccaceae (Takhtajan, Cronquist, Thorne). An examination of the wood anatomy, the first ever, reveals that Stegnospermaceae is more similar to Caryophyllaceae than to Phytolaccaceae. By considering floral, palynological, and biochemical evidences in addition to the new anatomical evidence, it appears that Stegnosperma is distinct from Phytolaccaceae and deserves formal familial recognition in Caryophyllales. Its relationship within the order is still among the less advanced families, representing an element related to the branch leading from Phytolaccaceae to Caryophyllaceae.