Past literature classified Diapensiaceae as an old family, without defining the meaning of old.[8] The name Diapensia was given to Diapensia lapponica by Linnaeus. Previously, it was the Greek name of sanicle.[9][10] The family, originally including only Diapensia lapponica, was named by Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1829.[11] Concerning the interrelationships in Diapensiaceae, debate still remains regarding the recognition of Schizocodon and whether it should be separate from Shortia. However, recent molecular studies support the split of the two genera.[6] Additionally, recognition of species within the genera has been debated. Within the genus Pyxidanthera, two species have previously been recognized. Recent morphology and molecular work found that the two species do not differ morphologically, gene flow exists between them, and the taxa are not monophyletic.[12][13]
Over time, various relationships among Diapensiaceae and other angiosperm families have been proposed. Previously, it was placed within the order Rosales,[14] as well as in the Cornales.[15] Diapensiaceae was also placed in an order of its own in the Cronquist system and by Takhtajan.[16] Recent studies have placed Diapensiaceae as part of the Ericales clade, belonging to the “styracoids” (Diapensiaceae, Styracaceae, Symplocaceae).[17] It is estimated that Diapensiaceae diverged from Sytracaceae about 93 million years ago.[18] The family is thought to have originated in the Northern Hemisphere.[19]
^ abWells, B. W. (1929). "A new pyxie from North Carolina". Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. 44 (2): 238–239.
^ abcHigashi, Hiroyuki; Ikeda, Hajime; Setoguchi, Hiroaki (2015). "Molecular phylogeny of Shortia sensu lato (Diapensiaceae) based on multiple nuclear sequences". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 301 (2): 523–529. doi:10.1007/s00606-014-1088-7. S2CID18161027.
^ abScott, P. J. (2004). "Diapensiaceae". Flowering Plants Dicotyledons Part of the Families and Genera of Vascular Plants Book Series (Families Genera. 6): 117–121.
^Baldwin Jr., J. T. (1939). "Chromosomes of the Diapensiaceae: a cytological approach to a phylogenetic problem". Journal of Heredity. 30 (4): 169–171. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a104709.
^Smith, A. W. (January 1997). A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins. Dover Publications. ISBN0486297152.
^Sweet, Robert (6 January 2018). The British Flower Garden, (series the Second) (3 ed.). Forgotten Books. ISBN978-0428437602.
^Wall, W. A.; Douglas, N. A.; Xiang, Q. Y.; Hoffmann, W. A.; Wentworth, T. R.; Hoffmann, M. G. (2010). "Evidence for range stasis during the latter Pleistocene for the Atlantic Coastal Plain endemic genus, Pyxidanthera Michaux". Molecular Ecology. 19 (19): 4302–4314. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04793.x. PMID20819166. S2CID5983059.
^Dahlgren, R. (1983). "General aspects of angiosperm evolution and macrosystematics". Nordic Journal of Botany. 3: 119–149. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1983.tb01448.x.
^Takhtajan, A. L. (1997). Diversity and classification of flowering plants. New York: Columbia University Press.
^Schönenberger, J; Anderberg, A. A.; Sytsma, K. J. (2005). "Molecular phylogenetics and patterns of floral evolution in the Ericales". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 166 (2): 265–288. doi:10.1086/427198. S2CID35461118.
^Rose, J. P.; Kleist, T. J.; Löfstrand, S. D.; Drew, B. T.; Schönenberger, J.; Sytsma, K. J. (2018). "Phylogeny, historical biogeography, and diversification of angiosperm order Ericales suggest ancient Neotropical and East Asian connections". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 122: 59–79. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.01.014. PMID29410353.
^Hou, Y.; Bjorå, C. S.; Ikeda, H.; Brochmann, C.; Popp, M. (2016). "rom the north into the Himalayan–Hengduan Mountains: fossil-calibrated phylogenetic and biogeographical inference in the arctic-alpine genus Diapensia (Diapensiaceae)". Journal of Biogeography. 43 (8): 1502–1513. doi:10.1111/jbi.12715. S2CID88118650.
^Palser, Barbara F. (1963). "Studies of Floral Morphology in the Ericales VI. The Diapensiaceae". Botanical Gazette. 124 (3): 200–219. doi:10.1086/336193. S2CID84273962.