Belongs within: Lamiales.
Contains: Thunbergioideae, Acanthoideae.
The Acanthaceae is a group of mostly tropical herbs, shrubs and vines. They are commonly divided between three subfamilies, of which the Nelsonioideae have non-explosive fruits without a retinaculum and descending-cochlear flower aestivation (Scotland & Vollesen 2000). Members of the Nelsonioideae include Staurogyne, a pantropical genus of herbs and small shrubs found in damp habitats that may be at least seasonally amphibious. Nelsonia are prostrate herbs bearing flowers lacking bracteoles. Elytraria is a genus of perennial, often stemless herbs with flower spikes borne on closely bracted scapes.
<==Acanthaceae [Acanthalium]
| i. s.: Multiareolites formosus Pares Regali et al. 1984CBH93
| Multimarginites vanderhammeni Germeraad et al. 1968CBH93
| Enslenia Raf. 1817KC01
| Goldfussia dalhousianaSS72
| Hexacentris mysorensisT-W89
|--+--ThunbergioideaeOP01
| `--AcanthoideaeOP01
`--NelsonioideaeSV00
|--AnisosepalumSV00
|--GynocrateriumSV00
|--OphiorrhiziphyllonSV00
|--SaintpauliopsisSV00
|--Elytraria [incl. Tubiflora]SV00
| `--E. crenataSV00
|--NelsoniaLK14
| |--N. campestrisLK14
| `--N. canescensC55
`--Staurogyne [incl. Ancistrostylis, Ebermaiera, Erythracanthus, Neozenkerina, Staurogynopsis, Zenkerina]SV00
`--S. leptocaulisLK14
|--S. l. ssp. leptocaulisLK14
`--S. l. ssp. decumbensLK14
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[C55] Candolle, A. de. 1855. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.
[CBH93] Collinson, M. E., M. C. Boulter & P. L. Holmes. 1993. Magnoliophyta (‘Angiospermae’). In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 809–841. Chapman & Hall: London.
[KC01] Kirk, P. M., P. F. Cannon, J. C. David & J. A. Stalpers. 2001. Ainsworth & Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi 9th ed. CAB International: Wallingford (UK).
[LK14] Lyons, M. N., G. J. Keighery, L. A. Gibson & T. Handasyde. 2014. Flora and vegetation communities of selected islands off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 205–244.
[OP01] Olmstead, R. G., C. W. dePamphilis, A. D. Wolfe, N. D. Young, W. J. Elisons & P. A. Reeves. 2001. Disintegration of the Scrophulariaceae. American Journal of Botany 88 (2): 348–361.
[SV00] Scotland, R. W., & K. Vollesen. 2000. Classification of Acanthaceae. Kew Bulletin 55 (3): 513–589.
[SS72] Singh, V., & H. Singh. 1972. A contribution to the flora of Gangolihat block in Pithoragarh District. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 69 (2): 352–368.
[T-W89] Tenison-Woods, J. E. 1889. On the vegetation of Malaysia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 4 (1): 9–106, pls 1–9.