The embryology and relationships ofOliniaceae

Two of the five species ofOliniaceae (Olinia emarginata andO. ventosa), a monotypic and problematic family of theMyrtales, were investigated embryologically.Oliniaceae clearly agree with otherMyrtales in their basic embryological characteristics, and are characterized further by having an ephemeral endothecium, a campylotropous ovule, and a thick, three-five-layered, outer integument. A combination of these three characteristic features is unknown elsewhere inMyrtales, so that embryological features do not support a close relationship with any other member of the order. Shared distinctive anther characteristics (i.e. ephemeral endothecium) suggest thatOliniaceae are derived from the common ancestor ofCrypteroniaceae s. str.,Rhynchocalycaceae, Alzateaceae, andPenaeaceae.