The World Flora Online

Trees, shrubs, or sometimes shrublets, monopodial or sympodial, usually dioecious, less often monoecious or polygamo- dioecious. Stipules absent. Leaves in spirals, very rarely opposite, usually pinnate; leaflets opposite, subopposite, or alternate; leaflet blades with base somewhat oblique, margin usually entire or rarely lobed or serrate. Flowers usually in axillary thyrses, rarely racemose or spicate. Calyx small, 3-6-lobed or with distinct sepals, usually cup-shaped or tubular, imbricate or valvate in bud. Corolla contorted or imbricate, sometimes quincuncial. Petals (3 or)4 or 5(or 6), rarely more, distinct or connate, sometimes adnate to staminal tube and then valvate. Stamens 3-10 or more, hypogynous, mostly with a staminal tube (distinct stamens in Cedrela and Toona); anthers usually sessile on stamen tube, erect, included or exserted, 2-celled, longitudinally dehiscing. Disk tubular, annular, obsolete, or absent, free or adnate to ovary. Ovary usually free, 2-5(or more)-locular, with 1 to many collateral or superposed ovules per locule; style single or rarely absent; stigma disciform or capitate. Fruit a berry (dry but indehiscent with arillate seeds in some Aglaia sect. Aglaia), capsule, or rarely a drupe. Seeds winged or with a fleshy aril or sarcotesta wholly or partly covering seed; endosperm fleshy or usually absent.

Trees or shrubs, mostly with hard scented wood, very rarely subherbaceous Leaves alternate, mostly pinnate; stipules absent Calyx often small, imbricate, rarely valvate Flowers actinomorphic, mostly hermaphrodite Stamens mostly 8 or 10, rarely numerous, mostly with connate filaments, and the anthers often sessile in the tube; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise; disk various Petals free or partially connate, contorted or imbricate, or adnate to the staminal tube and valvate Fruit baccate, capsular or rarely a drupe, often with a large central axis Ovary superior, often 3–5-celled, stigma often disci-form or capitate; ovules mostly 2, rarely 1 or more Seeds with or without endosperm, sometimes winged Leaves alternate, mostly pinnate; stipules absent Calyx often small, imbricate, rarely valvate Flowers actinomorphic, mostly hermaphrodite Stamens mostly 8 or 10, rarely numerous, mostly with connate filaments, and the anthers often sessile in the tube; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise; disk various Petals free or partially connate, contorted or imbricate, or adnate to the staminal tube and valvate Fruit baccate, capsular or rarely a drupe, often with a large central axis Ovary superior, often 3–5-celled, stigma often disci-form or capitate; ovules mostly 2, rarely 1 or more Seeds with or without endosperm, sometimes winged

Arbres'élevés, plus rarement arbustes dressés ou sarmenteux ou arbrisseaux; écorce souvent odorante, parfois à faible exsudat laiteux.'Feuilles'alternes ou exceptionnellement opposées2, sans stipules, à pétiole et rachis parfois subailés, composées-pennées, rarement 2-3-pennées, 1-foliolées ou simples; folioles entières, rarement dentées ou lobées, parfois à ponctuations ou points translucides correspondant à des cellules sécrétrices.'Inflorescences'en racèmes ou panicules.'Fleurs'actinomorphes, ☿ ou ♂♀, (3)4-5(6)-mères; calice petit, cupuliforme, denté, lobé, ou à sépales libres ordinairement imbriqués; corolle dépassant le calice, à 4-5 pétales valvaires, imbriqués, parfois contortés, libres ou partiellement soudés, lancéolés, spatuliformes, ovales ou obovales, parfois linéaires; étamines à filets ± longuement soudés en tube ou parfois libres; anthères en même nombre ou 2-3 fois plus nombreuses que les pétales, insérées sur les bords du tube staminal ou sur les sommets des parties libres des filets ou à l'intérieur du tube qu'elles dépassent ou non; disque présent et libre ou absent, sous forme d'anneau, de coussin concrescent avec la base de l'ovaire, ou de gynophore à bords dilatés ou concrescent avec la base du tube staminal; ovaire petit, supère, libre ou concrescent avec le disque, 1-20 loculaire, à 1-10 ovules par loge, juxtaposés ou superposés, anatropes, hémianatropes ou épitropes avec un raphé ventral; style très long ou très court, à stigmate discoïde, pelté, capité ou claviforme, cylindrique ou parfois lobé.'Fruits'déhiscents ou non, généralement capsulaires, drupacés ou bacciformes.'Graines'ailées ou non et alors parfois arillées; albumen présent ou non.'Plantule à cotylédons hypogés ou épigés, à premières feuilles alternes ou opposées, généralement simples ou si composées présentant souvent ensuite des réductions.\n\t\t\tFamille pantropicale groupant ±51 genres et environ 1400 espèces; au Congo belge, 13 genres, 47 espèces dont 1 introduite et 1 variété.\n\t\t\tLes Méliacées constituent une des familles les plus importantes pour la production ligneuse; le genre'Swietenia'Jacq., originaire d'Amérique et les genres'Khaya'et'Entandrophragma,'originaires d'Afrique, fournissent de l'acajou. Des espèces à croissance rapide du genre'Cedrela P. Br. ont été introduites au Congo belge.

Fruit usually a loculicidal or septifragal capsule or a drupe, rarely a leathery cleistocarp or a berry Ovary superior, (2–)4–5(–20)-locular, with axile placentation; ovules 1–many per locule; style 1; style-head expanded, capitate, globose, ovoid, cylindric, discoid or coroniform, entire or shallowly lobed, only partly stigmatic, sometimes (>i>Turraea) functioning as a ‘receptaculum pollinis’ Seeds usually arillate, winged or with a corky or woody outer covering; endosperm present or absent Stamens (5–)8–10(–20), rarely completely free, usually partly or completely fused to form a staminal tube, usually bearing appendages; anthers 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally, connective usually apiculate beyond anther-lobes Disk intrastaminal, very variable, rarely absent, often developed from the gynophore, completely fused to base of staminal tube, or annular, cup-shaped or cushion-shaped and free from staminal tube and ovary or cushion-shaped and enveloping the base of the ovary Petals usually 4–5, free (adnate to the staminal tube in Turraeanthus), valvate, imbricate or contorted Sepals small, 4–6, variously connate or almost free, the lobes imbricate or with open aestivation, never completely covering corolla in bud Flowers bisexual or unisexual, monoecious or dioecious, occasionally polygamous, actinomorphic, mainly 4–5-merous; sepals and petals dissimilar Inflorescence usually axillary or in axils of fallen leaves, of cymose panicles or of compound or simple cymes or flowers fasciculate, rarely solitary Stipules absent Leaves usually alternate, 2- or 3-pinnate, simply impari- or paripinnate, 3-foliolate, 1-foliolate or simple; leaflets entire, crenate or serrate Indumentum of simple, glandular or stellate hairs Wood often scented Trees, shrubs or shrublets Ovary superior, (2–)4–5(–20)-locular, with axile placentation; ovules 1–many per locule; style 1; style-head expanded, capitate, globose, ovoid, cylindric, discoid or coroniform, entire or shallowly lobed, only partly stigmatic, sometimes (>i>Turraea) functioning as a ‘receptaculum pollinis’ Seeds usually arillate, winged or with a corky or woody outer covering; endosperm present or absent Stamens (5–)8–10(–20), rarely completely free, usually partly or completely fused to form a staminal tube, usually bearing appendages; anthers 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally, connective usually apiculate beyond anther-lobes Disk intrastaminal, very variable, rarely absent, often developed from the gynophore, completely fused to base of staminal tube, or annular, cup-shaped or cushion-shaped and free from staminal tube and ovary or cushion-shaped and enveloping the base of the ovary Petals usually 4–5, free (adnate to the staminal tube in Turraeanthus), valvate, imbricate or contorted Sepals small, 4–6, variously connate or almost free, the lobes imbricate or with open aestivation, never completely covering corolla in bud Flowers bisexual or unisexual, monoecious or dioecious, occasionally polygamous, actinomorphic, mainly 4–5-merous; sepals and petals dissimilar Inflorescence usually axillary or in axils of fallen leaves, of cymose panicles or of compound or simple cymes or flowers fasciculate, rarely solitary Stipules absent Leaves usually alternate, 2- or 3-pinnate, simply impari- or paripinnate, 3-foliolate, 1-foliolate or simple; leaflets entire, crenate or serrate Indumentum of simple, glandular or stellate hairs Wood often scented Trees, shrubs or shrublets

Fls regular, hypogynous, perfect or unisexual; sep commonly connate at least below; pet usually as many as the sep, distinct or seldom connate below; stamens twice as many as the pet, or seldom as many as and alternate with the pet, usually monadelphous, the filament-tube often with appendages; nectary-disk intrastaminal, sometimes adnate to the ovary or modified into an androgynophore; ovary mostly 2–5-locular, with a single style; ovules typically 2 per locule, axile, generally pendulous and epitropous; fr a capsule, or less often a berry or drupe; embryo spatulate, with 2 cotyledons; endosperm oily; woody plants with bitter bark and alternate, exstipulate, pinnately compound or trifoliolate lvs. 51/550, mostly of warm reg.

Leaves usually alternate, 2- or 3-pinnate, simply impari- or pari-pinnate, 3-foliolate, 1-foliolate or simple; leaflets entire, crenate or serrate Stipules absent Wood often scented Indumentum of simple, glandular or stellate hairs Trees, shrubs or shrublets Petals usually 4–5, free, valvate, imbricate or contorted Sepals small, 4–6, variously connate or almost free, the lobes imbricate or with open aestivation, never completely covering corolla in bud Flowers bisexual or unisexual, monoecious or dioecious, occasionally polygamous, actinomorphic, mostly 5-merous; sepals and petals dissimilar Inflorescence usually axillary or in axils of fallen leaves, of cymose panicles or compound or simple cymes or flowers fasciculate Disk intrastaminal, very variable, often developed from the gynophore, completely fused to base of staminal tube, or annular, cup-shaped or cushion-shaped and free from staminal tube and ovary or cushion-shaped and enveloping the base of the ovary Stamens (5) 8–10 (20), rarely completely free, usually partly or completely fused to form a staminal tube, usually bearing appendages; anthers 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally, connective usually apiculate beyond anther-lobes Ovary superior, (2) 4–5 (20)-locular, with axile placentation; ovules 1-? per loculus; style 1; style-head expanded, capitate, globose, ovoid, cylindric, discoid or coroniform, entire or shallowly lobed, only partly stigmatic, sometimes (Turraea) functioning as a receptaculum pollinis Fruit a loculicidal or septifragal capsule or a drupe Seeds usually arillate, winged or with a corky outer integument; endosperm present or absent Stipules absent Wood often scented Indumentum of simple, glandular or stellate hairs Trees, shrubs or shrublets Petals usually 4–5, free, valvate, imbricate or contorted Sepals small, 4–6, variously connate or almost free, the lobes imbricate or with open aestivation, never completely covering corolla in bud Flowers bisexual or unisexual, monoecious or dioecious, occasionally polygamous, actinomorphic, mostly 5-merous; sepals and petals dissimilar Inflorescence usually axillary or in axils of fallen leaves, of cymose panicles or compound or simple cymes or flowers fasciculate Disk intrastaminal, very variable, often developed from the gynophore, completely fused to base of staminal tube, or annular, cup-shaped or cushion-shaped and free from staminal tube and ovary or cushion-shaped and enveloping the base of the ovary Stamens (5) 8–10 (20), rarely completely free, usually partly or completely fused to form a staminal tube, usually bearing appendages; anthers 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally, connective usually apiculate beyond anther-lobes Ovary superior, (2) 4–5 (20)-locular, with axile placentation; ovules 1-? per loculus; style 1; style-head expanded, capitate, globose, ovoid, cylindric, discoid or coroniform, entire or shallowly lobed, only partly stigmatic, sometimes (Turraea) functioning as a receptaculum pollinis Fruit a loculicidal or septifragal capsule or a drupe Seeds usually arillate, winged or with a corky outer integument; endosperm present or absent