What is "clusiaceae"

Clusiaceae \Clusiaceae\ n. a widely distributed family of chiefly tropical trees and shrubs and vines that produce oils and resins and some usable timber.

Syn: Guttiferae, family Guttiferae, family Clusiaceae, St John's wort family.

The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (nom. alt. et cons. = alternative and valid name) are a family of plants formerly including about 37 genera and 1610 species, but is now restricted to 13 genera and ca 750 species, the rest placed in related families like Bonnetiaceae, Calophyllaceae and Hypericaceae. They are mostly trees and shrubs, with milky sap and fruits or capsules for seeds. It is primarily tropical. More so than many plant families, it shows large variation in plant morphology (for example, three to 10, fused or unfused petals, and many other traits). According to the APG III, this family belongs to the order Malpighiales. The APG III system reduced the circumscription of this family to just 14 genera and about 595 species. Previous circumscriptions have often included the family Hypericaceae as a subfamily within Clusiaceae.

One feature which is sometimes found in this family, and rarely in others (e.g., Malpighiaceae), is providing pollinators with rewards other than pollen or nectar; specifically, some species offer resin which bees use in nest construction (all three rewards are found in different species of the Clusiaceae).