The World Flora Online

Trees, shrubs, vines, or rarely herbs, frequently with milky or watery latex, sometimes spiny. Stipules present, frequently caducous. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite; petiole often present and well-defined; leaf blade simple, sometimes with cystoliths, margin entire or palmately lobed, venation pinnate or palmate. Inflorescences axillary, frequently paired, racemose, spicate, capitate, or rarely cymose, sometimes a fig or syconium with flowers completely enclosed within a hollow receptacle. Flowers unisexual (plants monoecious or dioecious), small to very small. Calyx lobes (1 or)2-4(-8), free or connate, imbricate or valvate. Corolla absent. Male flowers: stamens as many as and opposite to calyx lobes (except in Artocarpus), straight or inflexed in bud; anthers 1- or 2-loculed, crescent-shaped to top-shaped; pistillode (rudimentary sterile pistil) often present. Female flowers: calyx lobes usually 4; ovary superior, semi-inferior, or inferior, 1(or 2)-loculed; ovules 1 per locule, anatropous or campylotropous; style branches 1 or 2; stigmas usually filiform. Fruit usually a drupe, rarely an achene, enveloped by an enlarged calyx and/or immersed in a fleshy receptacle, often joined into a syncarp. Seed solitary; endosperm present or absent.

Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple; stipules paired, often caducous and leaving a scar Trees or shrubs or rarely herbs, often with milky juice Calyx-lobes usually 4, sometimes reduced, imbricate or valvate Flowers much reduced, often in heads, disks or hollow receptacles, unisexual Stamens usually equal in number and opposite to the sepals; filaments inflexed or erect in bud; anthers 2-celled Female flower with superior or inferior ovary, of 2 carpels, one often abortive, usually 1-celled; styles mostly 2, filiform; ovule solitary, pendulous, rarely basal and erect Fruit a small achene, nut or drupe Seed with or without endosperm, often with curved embryo Trees or shrubs or rarely herbs, often with milky juice Calyx-lobes usually 4, sometimes reduced, imbricate or valvate Flowers much reduced, often in heads, disks or hollow receptacles, unisexual Stamens usually equal in number and opposite to the sepals; filaments inflexed or erect in bud; anthers 2-celled Female flower with superior or inferior ovary, of 2 carpels, one often abortive, usually 1-celled; styles mostly 2, filiform; ovule solitary, pendulous, rarely basal and erect Fruit a small achene, nut or drupe Seed with or without endosperm, often with curved embryo

Fls unisexual; cal of (2–)4–5(6) distinct or ± connate sep; pet none; stamens usually as many as and opposite the sep, rarely fewer or only one, often incurved in bud; ovary superior to inferior, bicarpellate, or one carpel ± reduced or even suppressed, the ovary bilocular or much more often unilocular; style or style-branches stigmatic along the inner surface, generally 2, sometimes one of them ± reduced or even wholly suppressed; ovules solitary in each locule (or one locule empty), generally pendulous and anatropous to hemitropous or campylotropous; frs generally fleshy, often connate (or ripening collectively with the receptacle) to form a syncarp; seeds with straight or more often curved embryo, the cotyledons often unequal; endosperm usually present and fatty; woody (rarely herbaceous) plants with milky juice, opposite or alternate, simple or compound lvs and small or minute fls crowded in dense clusters or heads. 40/1000.

Arbres , arbustes ou herbes, monoïques ou dioïques, parfois polygames, à tubes laticifères.'Feuilles'alternes simples, penni- ou palminerves, parfois très grandes, à stipules en général caduques, latérales ou axillaires et laissant, dans ce cas, une cicatrice annulaire.'Fleurs'toujours 1-sexuées, réunies en cymes ± contractées 1- ou 2-sexuées, formant souvent des capitules denses sur des réceptacles globuleux, convexes, plans ou concaves, bordés parfois de bractées ou appendices; fleurs ♀ parfois solitaires.'Fleurs'♂ et ♀ souvent très différentes; périgone de 4-2 segments libres ou ± soudés, souvent réduit ou nul; étamines 1-4, à filament réfléchi ou droit dans le bouton, accompagnées ou non d'un pistillode; ovaire 2-carpellaire, 1-loculaire à 1 ovule en général pendant; style 1-2.'Fruits': akènes, baies ou drupes, en général petits, mais souvent réunis en syncarpe (infrutescences) ± volumineux et ± charnus, avec intervention du réceptacle ou du périgone ± accrescent.'Graines avec ou sans albumen; embryon souvent recourbé, à cotylédons souvent inégaux.\n\t\t\tEnviron 1200 espèces presque toutes tropicales; au Congo belge 15 genres dont 2 introduits et 146 espèces.\n\t\t\tFamille très importante au point de vue scientifique par la très grande diversité de ses organes (surtout de ses inflorescences), de ses curieuses particularités écologiques et par le rôle important joué dans les associations par beaucoup de ses espèces, ainsi qu'au point de vue pratique en raison des usages divers de certaines d'entre elles.\n\t\t\tSont à signaler : les inflorescences et les fruits composés (parfois énormes) des genres'Musanga, Treculia, Artocarpus, Ficus'(les figues); les adaptations des'Ficus'à l'épiphytisme et leur extraordinaire symbiose avec les insectes (espèces du genre'Blastophaga ) assurant leur pollinisation.'Musanga smithii , le parasolier, partout répandu, joue un rôle considérable dans le reboisement naturel, et fournit une sève potable,'Chlorophora excelsa ,'Treculia africana ,'Bosqueia angolensis ,'Antiaris \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Welwitschii'et de nombreux'Ficus'sont, parmi les grands arbres, des éléments importants de la forêt équatoriale, dont quelques-uns (Chlorophora surtout) livrent des bois précieux. Un'Cecropia , introduit d'Amérique et naturalisé, présente des adaptations myrmécophiles célèbres.\n\t\t\tLes graines de'Treculia africana'et de'Bosqueia angolensis'sont alimentaires. Comme producteur de caoutchouc, certains'Ficus'et surtout'Castilloa elastica'Cerv. ont été introduits mais ont été complètement supplantés par l' Hevea . Enfin, l'écorce de plusieurs'Ficus'et de l' Antiaris sert aux indigènes à préparer des tissus pour vêtements.

Leaves in spirals or distichous, sometimes subopposite or subverticillate, entire or sometimes pinnately or palmately incised, stipulate Trees, shrubs or herbs, dioecious or monoecious; sap milky, sometimes watery (but not turning black) Staminate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; stamens 1–4 Inflorescences bisexual or unisexual, spicate, globose-, clavate- or discoid-capitate, urceolate or uniflorous Fruit achene-like, drupaceous (dehiscent or not), or forming a drupaceous whole with the fleshy perianth or with the fleshy receptacle as well Pistillate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; pistil 1; ovary free or adnate to the perianth; stigmas 1–2; ovule 1, attached apically Seed large without endosperm or small with endosperm; embryo various Trees, shrubs or herbs, dioecious or monoecious; sap milky, sometimes watery (but not turning black) Staminate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; stamens 1–4 Inflorescences bisexual or unisexual, spicate, globose-, clavate- or discoid-capitate, urceolate or uniflorous Fruit achene-like, drupaceous (dehiscent or not), or forming a drupaceous whole with the fleshy perianth or with the fleshy receptacle as well Pistillate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; pistil 1; ovary free or adnate to the perianth; stigmas 1–2; ovule 1, attached apically Seed large without endosperm or small with endosperm; embryo various

SELECTED REFERENCES

Engler, H. G. A. 1888b. Moraceae. In: H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl, eds. 1887-1915. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien.... 254 fasc. Leipzig. Fasc. 18[III,1], pp. 66-96. Rohwer, J. G. 1993b. Moraceae. In: K. Kubutzki et al., eds. 1990+. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. 2+ vols. Berlin etc. Vol. 2, pp. 438-453. Tomlinson, P. B. 1980. The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida. Allston, Mass.

Trees, shrubs, herbs, or vines , deciduous or evergreen, frequently with milky sap. Leaves alternate (rarely opposite or whorled), simple; stipules present, persistent or caducous; petiole adaxially grooved. Leaf blade: margins entire, toothed, or lobed; venation pinnate or with 3-5 basal palmate veins; cystoliths often present in epidermal cells. Inflorescences racemes, cymes, or capitula. Flowers unisexual, staminate and pistillate on same or different plants, small, occasionally on flattened torus, more often enclosed within fleshy, flask-shaped receptacle (syconium); sepals 2-6, distinct or partly connate (vestigial in Brosimum ). Staminate flowers: stamens equal in number to sepals or calyx lobes and opposite them, straight or inflexed; anthers 1-2-locular. Pistillate flowers: sepals or calyx lobes 4, ± connate; pistils 1, 1-2-carpellate; ovary 1, superior or inferior, 1(-2)-locular; ovules 1 per locule; styles or style branches 1-2; stigmas 1-2, entire. Fruits multiple (syncarps); individual achenes or drupelets partly or completely enclosed by enlarged common receptacle or by individual calyces.

Inflorescence bisexual or unisexual, spicate, globose, clavate- or discoid-capitate, urceolate, sometimes uniflorous Staminate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; stamens 1–4 Trees, shrubs or herbs, dioecious or monoecious; sap milky, sometimes watery (but not turning black) Leaves spirally or distichously arranged, sometimes subopposite or subverticillate, entire or sometimes pinnately or palmately incised, stipulate Seed large and without endosperm or small with endosperm, embryo various Pistillate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; pistil 1; ovary free or adnate to the perianth; stigmas 1 or 2, ovule 1, apically attached Fruit achene-like, drupaceous (dehiscent or not), or forming a drupaceous whole with the fleshy perianth or with the fleshy receptacle as well Staminate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; stamens 1–4 Trees, shrubs or herbs, dioecious or monoecious; sap milky, sometimes watery (but not turning black) Leaves spirally or distichously arranged, sometimes subopposite or subverticillate, entire or sometimes pinnately or palmately incised, stipulate Seed large and without endosperm or small with endosperm, embryo various Pistillate flowers with 2–6 tepals or perianth lacking; pistil 1; ovary free or adnate to the perianth; stigmas 1 or 2, ovule 1, apically attached Fruit achene-like, drupaceous (dehiscent or not), or forming a drupaceous whole with the fleshy perianth or with the fleshy receptacle as well