title: Triuridaceae
text: Triuridaceae are a family of tropical and subtropical flowering plants, including nine genera with a total of approximately 55 known species. All members lack chlorophyll and are mycoheterotrophic (obtain food by digesting intracellular fungi, often erroneously called 'saprophytes'). The heterotrophic lifestyle of these plants has resulted in a loss of xylem vessels and stomata, and a reduction of leaves to scales.
  
  The flowers of Triuridaceae have tepals which are fused at the base and contain 10 to many free carpels.
  
  Systematics
  The circumscription of Triuridaceae has been unstable and some taxa may be paraphyletic.
  
  Triuridaceae have been allied with Alismataceae (based on the free carpels) but the APG III system (2009) places them among the non-commelinid monocots, in the Order Pandanales.
  
  The genus Lacandonia is sometimes placed in its own family, Lacandoniaceae.
  
  Triuridaceae are included in the Kew Royal Botanical Garden World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and were reviewed by H. Maas-van de Kamer and P. Maas-van de Kamer in 2005.  In this list, the genera Andruris and Hyalisma are subsumed into Sciaphila and Hexuris is subsumed into Peltophyllum, but two new genera Kupea and Kihansia are included. Both genera were described (and placed in Triuridaceae) in 2003. Mabelia and Nuhliantha are fossil genera that were both described in 2002 from the Turonian of New Jersey. The included genera therefore are:
  
  Kihansia Cheek
  Kupea Cheek & S.A.Williams
  Lacandonia E.Martínez & Ramos
  †Mabelia Gandolfo, Nixon et Crepet
  †Nuhliantha Gandolfo, Nixon et Crepet
  Peltophyllum Gardner (syn. Hexuris Miers)
  Sciaphila Blume (syn. Hyalisma Champion)
  Seychellaria Hemsl.
  Soridium Miers
  Triuridopsis H.Maas & Maas
  Triuris Miers
  
  References
  
  External links
   Triuridaceae  in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants : descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-intkey.com  
   Monocot families (USDA)
   The specialists at work
   photograph of Sciaphila 
   photographs of Sciaphila ramosa 
   photographs of Sciaphila megastyla 
   type of Sciaphila tosaensis
   NCBI Taxonomy Browser
   links at CSDL, Texas
  
   
  Monocot families