# List of Saxifragales, Vitales and Zygophyllales families

Flowering plant families (APG IV) :
Early-diverging flowering plants :
Monocots: Alismatids • Commelinids • Lilioids :
Saxifragales, Vitales and Zygophyllales are three orders of flowering plants with a total of 18 families. They belong to the superrosids, a group of around 150 related families, including the rose family. They are the only such orders that are not included in three large subgroups of the superrosids: the COM clade, the nitrogen-fixing clade and the malvids.
The order Saxifragales includes fruit-bearing shrubs, woody vines, succulents, aquatics, and many ornamental trees and garden plants, including stonecrops, currants and witch-hazels. Peonies are bred by horticulturists and widely cultivated in temperate gardens. The antiseptic resin of sweetgum trees has been used as a balm since biblical times. Cercidiphyllum japonicum, the largest tree species native to Japan, is used to make boards for the game of Go. Redcurrants, rich in pectin, are used in jams and juices.
Vitales and Zygophyllales include trees, shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants. Krameria triandra is used as an astringent in mouthwash and toothpaste. Wine, juices and jellies are made from grapes, and the leaves are also edible. Guaiacum, in the twinleaf family, yields exceptionally hard lumber.

## Glossary

From the glossary of botanical terms:
* annual: a plant species that completes its life cycle within a single year or growing season
* basal: attached close to the base (of a plant or an evolutionary tree diagram)
* deciduous: shedding or falling seasonally, as with bark, leaves, or petals
* herbaceous: not woody; usually green and soft in texture
* perennial: not an annual or biennial
* succulent (adjective): juicy or fleshy
* unisexual: of one sex; bearing only male or only female reproductive organs
* woody: hard and lignified; not herbaceous
The APG IV system is the fourth in a series of plant taxonomies from the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group.
Saxifragales is the only superrosid order that is not also a member of the rosids. Although the Saxifragales families are quite diverse, there are a few visible traits that can be linked to many of them. The plants have relatively small seeds, except in the family Peridiscaceae. Flowers tend to have separate, unfused petals, without nectar-secreting glands. The pollen-bearing anthers are often attached by their bases. Most fruits are follicles (seed pods). There are often two distinct ovaries, each with a hypanthium, a tube or cup-like structure in a flower that includes the bases of the sepals, petals, and stamens.

## Vitales and Zygophyllales

Vitales and Zygophyllales families :
| Family and a common name | Type genus and etymology | Total genera; global distribution | Description and uses | Order | Type genus images |
| Krameriaceae (ratany family) | Krameria, for Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer (1724–1765), a German physician and naturalist | 1 genus, in southern North America and dry parts of South America | Parasitic shrubs and herbaceous perennials | Zygophyl­lales | Krameria erecta |
| Vitaceae (grapevine family) | Vitis, from a Latin plant name | 18 genera, in the tropics and warm temperate zones | Small trees, shrubs, and woody and herbaceous vines | Vitales | Vitis vinifera |
| Zygophyllaceae (twinleaf family) | Zygophyllum, from Greek for "yoked leaves" | 22 genera, scattered worldwide, mostly in dry tropical to temperate zones | Shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants, frequently with jointed branches, sometimes with thorns | Zygophyl­lales | Zygophyllum fabago |

## Saxifragales

Saxifragales families :
| Family and a common name | Type genus and etymology | Total genera; global distribution | Description and uses | Type genus images |
| Altingiaceae (sweetgum family) | Liquidambar. Altingia, an earlier synonym, was named for Willem Arnold Alting (1724–1800), a Dutch colonial administrator. | 1 genus, in North America and southern, eastern and Southeast Asia | Evergreen and deciduous trees. Several species are harvested for timber. The wood of L. styraciflua is used to make furniture. | Liquidambar styraciflua |
| Aphanopetala­ceae (gum-vine family) | Aphanopetalum, from Greek for "inconspicuous petals" | 1 genus, in Australia | Shrubs, some twining like vines. The stems have extensive lenticels (ruptures in the bark) for gas exchange. | Aphanopetalum resinosum |
| Cercidiphylla­ceae (caramel-tree family) | Cercidiphyllum, from Greek for "leaves like Cercis" (that is, Cercis siliquastrum) | 1 genus, in China and Japan | Deciduous trees. The autumn leaves of C. japonicum have a caramel scent. | Cercidiphyllum japonicum |
| Crassulaceae (stonecrop family) | Crassula, from Latin for "little thick" (leaves) | 36 genera, scattered worldwide | Usually herbaceous perennials and annuals, sometimes shrubby, always with succulent stems. Some species of Crassula, Kalanchoe, Hylotelephium, Phedimus and Sempervivum are widely popular as potted ornamentals or rock garden plants. Sedum acre has been used as a pot-herb and a salad green. | Crassula perfoliata |
| Cynomoriaceae (tarthuth family) | Cynomorium, from Greek for "dog penis" | 1 genus, in arid regions near the Mediterranean and in central and eastern Asia | Reddish-brown herbaceous parasites, lacking chlorophyll. C. coccineum has been harvested in deserts for millennia for food and dyes. | Cynomorium coccineum |
| Daphniphylla­ceae (laurel-leaf family) | Daphniphyllum, from Greek for "leaves like Daphne" | 1 genus, in southern, eastern and Southeast Asia | Unisexual evergreen shrubs and trees | Daphniphyllum macropodum |
| Grossularia­ceae (gooseberry family) | Ribes. Grossularia, an earlier synonym, is from a Latin plant name. | 1 genus, in the temperate Northern Hemisphere and South America | Usually deciduous shrubs, frequently spiny. Most species have edible fruits. Blackcurrant, redcurrant and gooseberry fruits are mixed into juices, preserves and baked goods. | Ribes rubrum (redcurrant) |
| Haloragaceae (water-milfoil family) | Haloragis, from Greek for "salt berries" | 8 genera, distributed almost worldwide | Shrubs, small trees and herbaceous plants, growing in soil and water. Myriophyllum can be cultivated as a pond or aquarium plant. | Haloragis heterophylla |
| Hamamelida­ceae (witch-hazel family) | Hamamelis, from a Greek plant name | 26 genera, scattered worldwide | Deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. Some genera are common garden ornamentals, and some are harvested for furniture-making. | Hamamelis japonica |
| Iteaceae (sweetspire family) | Itea, from a Greek plant name | 2 genera, in North America, southeastern Africa, and eastern and Southeast Asia | Shrubs and trees, usually evergreen. Three species of Itea are grown as garden ornamentals. | Itea virginica |
| Paeoniaceae (peony family) | Paeonia, from a Greek plant name | 1 genus, in temperate western North America and throughout Eurasia | Shrubs and herbaceous perennials. They are widely cultivated as garden ornamentals. P. suffruticosa and P. lactiflora are especially popular in China and Japan. | Paeonia officinalis |
| Penthoraceae (ditch-stonecrop family) | Penthorum, from Greek for "five" (fruit sections) | 1 genus, in eastern North America and temperate parts of East Asia | Herbaceous perennials. The plants are edible after cooking, but may have a laxative effect. | Penthorum sedoides |
| Peridiscaceae (ringflower family) | Peridiscus, from Greek for (stamens) "around the disk" | 4 genera, in northeastern South America and West and Central Africa | Large shrubs and small trees | Peridiscus lucidus |
| Saxifragaceae (saxifrage family) | Saxifraga, from Latin for "stone-breaking" | 40 genera, distributed widely in the Northern Hemisphere, the Andes and New Guinea | Herbaceous perennials, usually, often with rhizomes. Ornamental genera include Astilbe, Bergenia, Darmera, Heuchera, Mukdenia, Rodgersia, Saxifraga, Tellima and Tiarella. | Saxifraga granulata |
| Tetracarpaea­ceae (delicate-laurel family) | Tetracarpaea, from Greek for "four-fruited" | 1 genus, in Tasmania | Low bushes with erect branches | Tetracarpaea tasmannica |