The World Flora Online

Trees, shrubs, woody climbers, or herbs, sometimes epiphytic, sometimes with axillary spines or tendrils. Leaves opposite, occasionally alternate, rarely verticillate, fasciculate, or in a whorl; stipules usually present, often reduced to lines connecting petiole bases, sometimes reduced to petiolar ocrea or a connate leaf-sheath; leaf blade usually entire, pinnately veined or 3--7-veined from base. Flowers in cymes, these often grouped into thyrses; cymes sometimes umbel-like, scorpioid or reduced to a single flower; bracts usually small. Flowers usually bisexual. Calyx 4- or 5-lobed; lobes free or connate, mostly persistent, imbricate or valvate. Corolla sympetalous; lobes 4 or 5(--16), valvate, imbricate or contorted in bud. Stamens inserted on corolla, included to exserted, equal in number to corolla lobes and alternating with them or sometimes fewer; filaments free, much shorter to much longer than anthers; anthers basifixed, 2--4-locular, dehiscing introrsely or extrorsely by longitudinal slits, base slightly to deeply parted. Disc ring-shaped or not. Ovary superior or rarely semi-inferior, (1- or)2(--4)-locular, placentation axillary or parietal; ovules 1 to many per locule. Style simple, terminal, persistent or deciduous; stigma usually capitate, entire or shortly 2--4-cleft. Fruit a capsule, berry, or drupe, 1- to many-seeded. Seeds sometimes winged; endosperm fleshy or horny; embryo minute, straight; cotyledons small.

Mostly trees and shrubs; stem usually woody Leaves opposite, simple; stipules present or absent Stamens epipetalous, as many as the corolla-lobes and alternate with them, or rarely reduced to 1; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Flowers hermaphrodite, usually actinomorphic, paniculate, corymbose or in globose heads Ovary superior, 2-4-celled; style single; ovules several to numerous, rarely solitary, axile or ascending from the base of each cell Calyx-lobes valvate or imbricate Fruit a capsule, berry or drupe Corolla tubular, lobes 4-16, contorted, imbricate or valvate Seeds sometimes winged; embryo straight, in the middle of fleshy or cartilaginous endosperm Leaves opposite, simple; stipules present or absent Stamens epipetalous, as many as the corolla-lobes and alternate with them, or rarely reduced to 1; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Flowers hermaphrodite, usually actinomorphic, paniculate, corymbose or in globose heads Ovary superior, 2-4-celled; style single; ovules several to numerous, rarely solitary, axile or ascending from the base of each cell Calyx-lobes valvate or imbricate Fruit a capsule, berry or drupe Corolla tubular, lobes 4-16, contorted, imbricate or valvate Seeds sometimes winged; embryo straight, in the middle of fleshy or cartilaginous endosperm

Arbres , arbustes ou lianes, rarement herbes.'Feuilles'généralement opposées, simples; stipules présentes ou absentes.'Inflorescences'cymeuses groupées en panicules ou en corymbes, parfois cymes unipares ou capitules.'Fleurs'bisexuées, généralement actinomorphes, subactinomorphes ( Mostuea ) ou zygomorphes ( listeria ); sépales valvaires ou imbriqués; corolle tubuleuse, à 4-16 lobes contortés, imbriqués ou valvaires; étamines insérées sur la corolle, en même nombre que les lobes de la corolle et alternant avec eux, ou exceptionnellement une seule ( listeria ); anthères à 2 loges s'ouvrant par une fente longitudinale; ovaire supère, à 1-4 loges; ovules en nombre variable, rarement 1, axiles ou presque basilaires; style simple.'Fruits': capsules, baies ou drupes.'Graines parfois ailées; embryon droit, au milieu de l'endosperme charnu ou cartilagineux.\n\t\t\tFamille tropicale et subtropicale, comptant 29 genres et environ 470 espèces. Pour la Flore : 8 genres, 57 espèces et 1 variété indigènes et 3 espèces introduites et/ou naturalisées.\n\t\t\tPour la délimitation de la famille, nous avons suivi les conceptions de Solereder [Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 1, 4 (2): 19-50 (1892-1895)] et de Leenhouts [Fl. Males., ser. 1, 6 : 295 (1963)]. Les 29 genres sont rangés en 10 tribus [voir Leeuwenberg, Act. Bot. Neerl., 16 : 56, 143 (1967) - 18 : 150 (1969), 669 (1970)]. Les 8 genres représentés dans la Flore appartiennent à 6 tribus différentes.

Fls perfect, regular, hypogynous, sympetalous, in ours 5-merous; cal ± deeply cleft, the lobes (or distinct sep) in most genera imbricate; cor salverform to tubular or campanulate; stamens on the cor-tube, alternate with the lobes; ovary superior, mostly bilocular, with few–many ovules on axile (or distally parietal) placentas; style terminal, simple or shortly 2-lobed; fr a capsule (in ours) or berry, seldom a drupe; embryo dicotyledonous, embedded in the endosperm; herbs or woody plants with opposite, simple, entire lvs; stipules usually interpetiolar, sometimes well developed and provided with colleters, sometimes (as in ours) inconspicuous or reduced to a mere line. 20/500, mostly of warm reg.

Inflorescences usually cymose and moderately branched but sometimes of numerous cymules racemosely arranged Flowers regular, usually hermaphrodite, sometimes heterostylous, usually 4–5-merous (corolla-lobes up to 20 in Anthocleista) Trees or shrubs (in our area; also herbs elsewhere) with opposite simple leaves; stipules interpetiolar, sometimes reduced to a mere line; latex absent Calyx shortly joined, ± campanulate Disc absent or slight Ovary superior or half-inferior, 2 (rarely 1 or 4)-locular; style 1, rarely divided above; stigmas 1, 2 or 4; ovules usually numerous, sometimes few (rarely 1) on axil placentas, anatropous or amphitropous Fruit a usually septicidally dehiscent capsule (loculicidally dehiscent in >i>Mostuea), berry or drupe Seeds various, sometimes flattened or winged; endosperm present; embryo usually straight; radicle usually inferior Stamens equal in number to and alternate with the corolla-lobes (in our area; more or less numerous elsewhere), the filaments often short Corolla with a short or long tube; lobes imbricate or valvate Flowers regular, usually hermaphrodite, sometimes heterostylous, usually 4–5-merous (corolla-lobes up to 20 in Anthocleista) Trees or shrubs (in our area; also herbs elsewhere) with opposite simple leaves; stipules interpetiolar, sometimes reduced to a mere line; latex absent Calyx shortly joined, ± campanulate Disc absent or slight Ovary superior or half-inferior, 2 (rarely 1 or 4)-locular; style 1, rarely divided above; stigmas 1, 2 or 4; ovules usually numerous, sometimes few (rarely 1) on axil placentas, anatropous or amphitropous Fruit a usually septicidally dehiscent capsule (loculicidally dehiscent in >i>Mostuea), berry or drupe Seeds various, sometimes flattened or winged; endosperm present; embryo usually straight; radicle usually inferior Stamens equal in number to and alternate with the corolla-lobes (in our area; more or less numerous elsewhere), the filaments often short Corolla with a short or long tube; lobes imbricate or valvate

Stipules true or false, present, reduced to lines connecting the petiole bases, or absent; in some cases leaves connate–perfoliate (in some Buddleja spp. with opposite leaves); lamina simple, variously shaped, pinnately veined, entire, incised, or less often lobed; sometimes with 1–3 pairs of basal secondary veins larger and curved along the margin, rendering the leaves seemingly 3–7–veined (most Strychnos spp.) Flowers regular, mostly hermaphrodite, homo– or (in Mostuea) heterostylous, mostly 4– or 5–merous (corolla and androecium 8–16–merous in Anthocleista), mostly actinomorphic but then often with subequal or unequal sepals, less often subactinomorphic or zygomorphic Inflorescence usually thyrsoid or otherwise cymose, or 1–flowered, rarely a raceme (Gomphostigma) Pistil simple; ovary superior or sometimes slightly inferior, mostly 2–celled, but sometimes 1–, or 4–celled; style simple, terminal, persistent or ; stigma simple or sometimes branched; ovules 2–many, on an axile placenta attached to the septum or in a unicellular ovary to the bottom (Strychnos spinosa) or parietal Stamens as many as corolla lobes and alternating with them or sometimes less; filaments free from each other, from much shorter to much longer than the anthers; anthers basifix, often versatile; cells 2 or (outside FZ area) 4, discrete or confluent at the apex, parallel or divergent at the base, dehiscent throughout by a longitudinal slit Corolla usually coloured, sympetalous, variously shaped; lobes valvate, imbricate, or contorted in bud Sepals usually green, free or united, usually persistent, imbricate, valvate, or apert in bud Seeds variously shaped, small or large, sometimes winged, with fleshy, starchy, or horny (Mostuea, Strychnos) endosperm surrounding a rather small or large straight embryo Fruit a capsule or a berry, 1–many–seeded Woody or less often herbaceous plants Leaves mostly opposite, less often ternate (often in Nuxia, sometimes in Strychnos), occasionally quaternate (sometimes in Nuxia), or sometimes subopposite or alternate (sometimes in Buddlejeae, especially in Buddleja and Nuxia) Flowers regular, mostly hermaphrodite, homo– or (in Mostuea) heterostylous, mostly 4– or 5–merous (corolla and androecium 8–16–merous in Anthocleista), mostly actinomorphic but then often with subequal or unequal sepals, less often subactinomorphic or zygomorphic Inflorescence usually thyrsoid or otherwise cymose, or 1–flowered, rarely a raceme (Gomphostigma) Pistil simple; ovary superior or sometimes slightly inferior, mostly 2–celled, but sometimes 1–, or 4–celled; style simple, terminal, persistent or ; stigma simple or sometimes branched; ovules 2–many, on an axile placenta attached to the septum or in a unicellular ovary to the bottom (Strychnos spinosa) or parietal Stamens as many as corolla lobes and alternating with them or sometimes less; filaments free from each other, from much shorter to much longer than the anthers; anthers basifix, often versatile; cells 2 or (outside FZ area) 4, discrete or confluent at the apex, parallel or divergent at the base, dehiscent throughout by a longitudinal slit Corolla usually coloured, sympetalous, variously shaped; lobes valvate, imbricate, or contorted in bud Sepals usually green, free or united, usually persistent, imbricate, valvate, or apert in bud Seeds variously shaped, small or large, sometimes winged, with fleshy, starchy, or horny (Mostuea, Strychnos) endosperm surrounding a rather small or large straight embryo Fruit a capsule or a berry, 1–many–seeded Woody or less often herbaceous plants Leaves mostly opposite, less often ternate (often in Nuxia, sometimes in Strychnos), occasionally quaternate (sometimes in Nuxia), or sometimes subopposite or alternate (sometimes in Buddlejeae, especially in Buddleja and Nuxia)