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Mulberry family
Moraceae
クワ科
A family of about 38 genera and 1,100 species including Morus, Ficus, Artocarpus, Broussonetia, and others, centered in the tropics and subtropics. Ficus is notable for its intimate coevolution with fig wasps, and many members exude latex.
Key Characteristics
- ●Many species exude latex when cut
- ●Flowers unisexual and small, often embedded in a fleshy receptacle (the syconium of Ficus)
- ●Fruits commonly pseudocarps (the entire inflorescence becoming fruit-like)
- ●Leaves alternate, serrate
- ●Predominantly woody (trees to shrubs)
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate / Palmate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Vine / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Dissected / Undivided
Stipules
Present
Latex
Present
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
3 petals / Many / No petals
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
1-2
Plant sex
Dioecious / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosids > Rosales > Moraceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (approx. 80–70 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Intimate coevolution between Ficus and fig wasps (species-specific one-to-one pollination mutualism)
- ・Evolution of the syconium, a specialized enclosed inflorescence bearing flowers inside a hollow receptacle
Plants in Mulberry family on this site
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