Belongs within: Malvidae.
Contains: Bersama, Geranium, Pelargonium.
The Geraniales are a group of plants with contorted corollas bearing nectaries outside the androecium, and capsular fruits. Members of the type family Geraniaceae are mostly herbaceous plants. Geraniaceae usually bear fruits with a prominent beak; members of the genus Erodium are known as heron’s bills or storksbills in reference to this feature. Erodium species bear simple to pinnately compound leaves and flowers with five stamens alternating with scale-like staminodes (Hickman 1993).
The Bersamaceae are a group of trees and shrubs with bird-pollinated flowers found in sub-Saharan Africa. Tremandraceae are a small Australian family of small, often heath-like shrubs bearing showy, often nodding flowers.
Characters (from the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website): Vessel elements with simple perforation plates; nodes also 3<:3<; lamina margins gland-toothed; inflorescence cymose; corolla contorted; nectary outside androecium, opposite calyx; anthers obdiplostemonous; gynoecium opposite petals, stigma dry; outer integument 2–3 cells across, inner integument 2–3 cells across; fruit capsular; seed testal.
<==GeranialesWM09
|--TremandraceaeT00
| |--Platytheca galioidesT00, GK00
| `--Tremandra diffusaGK00
|--Francoaceae [Bersamoideae, Ledocarpaceae, Melianthaceae, Melianthales, Melianthoideae, Vivianiaceae]APG16
| |--+--FrancoaAPG16
| | `--Greyia [Greyiaceae]APG16
| |--+--BersamaAPG16
| | `--Melianthus Tournefort 1694APG16, D01 [incl. Diplerisma Planchon 1851D01]
| | |--M. comosusD01
| | `--M. majorD01
| `--+--Rhynchothecoideae [Rhynchothecaceae]T00
| |--Viviania [Vivianiaceae, Vivianioideae]APG16
| | `--V. marifoliaWM09
| `--LedocarpoideaeT00
| |--BalbisiaT00
| `--WendtiaT00
| |--W. gracilisWM09
| `--W. reynoldsiD03
`--GeraniaceaeWM09
|--Hypseocharis bilobataWM09
|--GeraniumA61
|--Macraea Lindl. 1828KC01
|--PelargoniumA61
|--SarcocaulonCV06
| |--S. inermeCV06
| |--S. marlothiiCV06
| |--S. peniculinumCV06
| `--S. rigidumJ54
|--MonsoniaPP07
| |--M. deserticolaCV06
| |--M. drudeanaCV06
| |--M. heliotropoidesD17
| |--M. ignorataCV06
| |--M. niveaD17
| |--M. senegalensisPP07
| `--M. trilobataCV06
`--ErodiumM99
|--E. angustilobumK90
|--E. aureumKM08
|--E. botrysOS04
|--E. brachycarpum [incl. E. obtusiplicatum]H93
|--E. ciconiumH91
|--E. cicutariumC06
|--E. crinitumM99
|--E. cygnorumKM08
|--E. glaucophyllumD17
|--E. gruinumPT98
|--E. laciniatumAGF98
|--E. macrophyllumH93
|--E. malachoidesC06
|--E. moschatumC06
|--E. pulverulentumD17
|--E. stephanianumO88
`--E. texanumH93
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).
[APG16] Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2016. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181: 1–20.
[CV06] Craven, P., & P. Vorster. 2006. Patterns of plant diversity and endemism in Namibia. Bothalia 36 (2): 175–189.
[D17] Diels, L. 1917. Beiträge zur Flora der Zentral-Sahara und ihrer Pflanzengeographie. Nach der Sammelausbeute des Freiherrn Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 54 (Beiblatt 120): 51–155.
[D01] Doweld, A. B. 2001. The systematic relevance of fruit and seed structure in Bersama and Melianthus (Melianthaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 227: 75–103.
[D03] Dusén, P. 1903. The vegetation of western Patagonia. In: Scott, W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896–1899 vol. 8. Botany pp. 1–34. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).
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[H91] Hubálek, Z. 1991. Biogeographic indication of natural foci of tick-borne infections. In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 1 pp. 255–260. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.
[J54] Jacobsen, H. 1954. Handbuch der sukkulenten Pflanzen: Beschreibung und Kultur der Sukkulenten mit Ausnahme der Cactaceae vol. 1. Abromeitiella bis Euphorbia. Gustav Fischer Verlag: Jena.
[K90] Keighery, G. J. 1990. Vegetation and flora of Shark Bay, Western Australia. In: Berry, P. F., S. D. Bradshaw & B. R. Wilson (eds) Research in Shark Bay: Report of the France-Australe Bicentenary Expedition Committee pp. 61–87. Western Australian Museum.
[KM08] Keighery, G. J., & W. Muir. 2008. Vegetation and vascular flora of Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 75: 11–19.
[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).
[M99] Matthews, M. 1999. Heliothine Moths of Australia: A guide to bollworms and related noctuid groups. CSIRO Publishing.
[OS04] Obbens, F. J., & L. W. Sage. 2004. Vegetation and flora of a diverse upland remnant of the Western Australian wheatbelt (Nature Reserve A21064). Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 87 (1): 19–28.
[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.
[PP07] Pandey, R. P., & P. M. Padhye. 2007. Studies on phytodiversity of Arid Machia Safari Park-Kailana in Jodhpur (Rajasthan). Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 49: 15–78.
[PT98] Panitsa, M., & D. Tzanoudakis. 1998. Contribution to the study of the Greek flora: flora and vegetation of the E Aegean islands Agathonisi and Pharmakonisi. Willdenowia 28: 95–116.
[T00] Thorne, R. F. 2000. The classification and geography of the flowering plants: dicotyledons of the class Angiospermae (subclasses Magnoliidae, Ranunculidae, Caryophyllidae, Dilleniidae, Rosidae, Asteridae, and Lamiidae). The Botanical Review 66: 441–647.
[WM09] Wang, H., M. J. Moore, P. S. Soltis, C. D. Bell, S. F. Brockington, R. Alexandre, C. C. Davis, M. Latvis, S. R. Manchester & D. E. Soltis. 2009. Rosid radiation and the rapid rise of angiosperm-dominated forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 106 (10): 3853–3858.