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Fagales

Fagales Temporal range: Late Cretaceous–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fagus sylvatica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Clade:	Fabids
Order:	Fagales Engl.[1]
Families
Betulaceae Casuarinaceae Fagaceae Juglandaceae Myricaceae Nothofagaceae Ticodendraceae
Synonyms
Betulales Martius Carpinales Döll Casuarinales Berchtold & J. Presl Casuarinanae Reveal & Doweld Corylales Dumortier Faganae Takhtajan Juglandales Berchtold & J. Presl Juglandanae Reveal Juglandineae Thorne & Reveal Myricales Martius Myricineae Thorne & Reveal Nothofagales Doweld Quercales Burnett Rhoipteleales Reveal

The Fagales are an orderofflowering plants, including some of the best-known trees. The order name is derived from genus Fagus, beeches. They belong among the rosid group of dicotyledons. The families and genera currently included are as follows:

• Betulaceae – birch family (Alnus, Betula, Carpinus, Corylus, Ostrya, and Ostryopsis)
• Casuarinaceae – she-oak family (Allocasuarina, Casuarina, Ceuthostoma, and Gymnostoma)
• Fagaceae – beech family (Castanea, Castanopsis, Chrysolepis, Fagus, Lithocarpus, Notholithocarpus, Quercus, and Trigonobalanus)
• Juglandaceae – walnut family (Alfaroa, Carya, Cyclocarya, Engelhardia, Juglans, Oreomunnea, Platycarya, Pterocarya, and Rhoiptelea)
• Myricaceae – bayberry family (Canacomyrica, Comptonia, and Myrica)
• Nothofagaceae – southern beech family (Nothofagus)
• Ticodendraceae – ticodendron family (Ticodendron)

The older Cronquist system only included four families (Betulaceae, Corylaceae, Fagaceae, Ticodendraceae; Corylaceae now being included within Betulaceae); this arrangement is followed by, for example, the World Checklist of selected plant families.^[2] The other families were split into three different orders, placed among the Hamamelidae. The Casuarinales comprised the single family Casuarinaceae, the Juglandales comprised the Juglandaceae and Rhoipteleaceae, and the Myricales comprised the remaining forms (plus Balanops). The change is due to studies suggesting the Myricales, so defined, are paraphyletic to the other two groups.

Characteristics[edit]

Most Fagales are wind pollinated and are monoecious with unisexual flowers.^[3]

Evolutionary history[edit]

The oldest member of the order is the flower Soepadmoa cupulata preserved in the late Turonian-Coniacian New Jersey amber, which is a mosaic with characteristics characteristic of both Nothofagus and other Fagales, suggesting that the ancestor of all Fagales was Nothofagus-like.^[3]

Systematics[edit]

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest the following relationships:^{[1][citation needed]}

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Missouri Botanical Gardens - Fagales