Celastraceae family genera

The Celastraceae family is probably related phylogenetically with the Aquifoliaceae the presence of glandular discs around the ovary and the bright coloured aril in the Celastraceae are the principal differences between the two families. The Celastraceae family is pantropically distributed with radiation towards temperate or temperate-cold climates. In other words, the Celastraceae are principally concentrated in the tropical and subtropical regions and to a lesser extent in the temperate zones of the world (Figure la). The family is better represented in Central America and the West Indies than m South America except for the Maytenus genus [5] (15 species in Peru and 15 in Venezuela). 

Taxonomists have shifted the genus Hippocratca from this family to one of its own and back again. It will be treated here as a member of the Celastraceae, a family of wide distribution except in the arctic regions. Its only economic importance is as a source of ornamentals and of khat (Calha edulis), a popular stimulant of the Middle East. 

The genus Euonymus belongs to the family Celastraceae. Two other important alkaloid-containing genera of this family are Maytenus and Catha, Maytoline and maytine were isolated from Maytenus ovata collected in Ethiopia (92). 

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