The World Flora Online

Shrubs or trees, evergreen or rarely deciduous, usually bisexual, rarely dioecious (Eurya) or androdioecious (Ternstroemia). Stipules absent. Leaves simple, alternate, petiolate or rarely sessile; leaf blade secondary veins pinnate, margin usually serrate or rarely entire. Flowers axillary or subterminal, solitary or sometimes to 3(-10 or more) in a cluster or raceme, pedicellate or subsessile. Bracteoles 2-8 or rarely more, persistent or caducous, sometimes undifferentiated from sepals. Sepals 5(or 6) or rarely more, persistent. Corolla white, red, or yellow; petals 5 or rarely more, basally connate or rarely distinct, adnate to androecium. Stamens numerous, in 1-6 whorls; outer filaments basally ± connate; anthers dorsifixed or basifixed, 2-loculed, laterally and longitudinally dehiscent. Gynoecium 3-5-carpellate. Carpels connate or rarely incompletely connate to nearly distinct. Ovary superior, rarely half inferior, 3-5-loculed, placentation axile or rarely nearly basal; ovules 2-5(to ca. 100) or more per locule; styles distinct to basally connate, rarely completely united. Fruit a loculicidal capsule or indehiscent and drupaceous or baccate, with 1 to many seeds per locule; pericarp woody, leathery, or fleshy; columella persistent or ± degenerating. Seeds globose, semiglobose, compressed oblong, ovoid, or reniform, winged or wingless; testa bony, leathery, or sometimes with a fleshy red outer layer or sarcotesta (in Anneslea and Ternstroemia), smooth or honeycombed; hilum umbilicate or linear; endosperm present or absent; embryo large or small; cotyledons fleshy or thin.

Fls regular, mostly perfect and hypogynous or nearly so, usually 5-merous; sep imbricate, distinct or often basally connate; pet distinct or only basally connate, in ours large and imbricate; stamens mostly numerous, the filaments often united at the base into a ring or into 5 bundles opposite and adnate to the base of the pet; ovary (2–)3–5(–10)-locular; styles or style-branches (or stigmas) as many as the locules; ovules (1)2 to more often several or many in each locule; fr in ours a loculicidal capsule; trees or shrubs with alternate, simple, exstipulate lvs. 40/600, warm reg.

Arbres, arbrisseaux, plus rarement plantes grimpantes; rameaux ± opposés ou verticillés.'Feuilles'alternes, sans stipules, simples, souvent coriaces et persistantes. Inflorescences axillaires, en racèmes ou cymes, naissant parfois sur un rameau court, souvent aussi fleurs solitaires.'Fleurs'☿, plus rarement ♂♀, régulières; bractéoles 2(3-5 ou 7-8), situées immédiatement sous la fleur et subsemblables aux sépales ou ± écartées, caduques ou persistantes; sépales libres ou ± soudés, imbriqués, (4)5-7 à ∞ et alors les externes semblables aux bractéoles et les internes ± semblables aux pétales, caducs ou persistants; pétales (4)5-7 à ∞, libres ou ± longuement soudés à la base, imbriqués, parfois tordus dans le bouton; étamines ∞, moins souvent 9-15(18), sur 1-2 ou plusieurs rangs; filets libres ou soudés ensemble ou en 5 faisceaux épipétales, souvent soudés à la base des pétales; connectif souvent prolongé; anthères à 2 loges introrses ou extrorses, à fente longitudinale parfois ± poriforme subapicale ou apicale; gynécée supère, rarement semi-infère, à 2-10 carpelles généralement soudés en 1 ovaire (2)3-5 (10)-loculaire, plus rarement 1-loculaire avec cloisons incomplètes; placentation axile; ovules (1)2-∞, pendants ou ascendants, anatropes ou campylotropes, à 2 téguments; styles en même nombre que les loges, parfois ± soudés, rarement nuls; stigmates libres ou soudés.'Fruits'parfois entourés par le calice accrescent, soit capsulaires à déhiscence loculicide ou septicide ou à la fois loculicide et septicide, soit ± nuciformes, bacciformes ou drupacés.'Graines 1-∞, parfois ailées ou arillées.\n\t\t\tFamille comprenant 24 genres groupant ± 400 espèces, surtout des régions tropicales et subtropicales; quelques espèces dans les régions tempérées; pour la Flore, 2 genres, l'un représenté par 2 variétés, l'autre monospécifique.\n\t\t\tLe thé est cultivé dans les régions montagneuses de l'est du Congo, au Rwanda et au Burundi. Camellia sinensis (L.) О. Kuntze var. assamica Mast, a été introduit au Kivu vers les années 1924-1925. En 1955, les superficies cultivées étaient au Congo de 3044 hectares, au Rwanda-Burundi de 105 hectares; cette culture en constante extension occupait en 1958 (Bull. Agr. Congo Belge et Ruanda-Urundi, Vol. Jub. 1910-1960, p. 181, 1960) 3573 hectares avec une production de 2532 tonnes1. La sélection du théier d'Assam était une des activités principales de la Station de recherches agronomiques de 1'I.N.É.A.C. à Mulungu (voir M. Van den Abeele et R. Vandenput, Princ. Cuit. Congo Belge, ed. 3, p. 433-454, t. 34-37, f. 286-300, 1956).

Trees or shrubs, usually evergreen Petals 5(–10), free or slightly joined, imbricate or contorted, spreading except in Melchiora Sepals 5(–7), free or slightly joined, imbricate Flowers unisexual or hermaphrodite, regular, usually solitary, rarely paniculate, racemose or cymose, frequently large and showy Ovary superior, 1–5-locular ; ovules 1-many in each locule, axile ; styles free or connate Leaves alternate or spirally arranged, exstipulate, often toothed Stamens usually numerous, in several whorls, hypogynous, free, shortly connate or epipetalous Petals 5(–10), free or slightly joined, imbricate or contorted, spreading except in Melchiora Sepals 5(–7), free or slightly joined, imbricate Flowers unisexual or hermaphrodite, regular, usually solitary, rarely paniculate, racemose or cymose, frequently large and showy Ovary superior, 1–5-locular ; ovules 1-many in each locule, axile ; styles free or connate Leaves alternate or spirally arranged, exstipulate, often toothed Stamens usually numerous, in several whorls, hypogynous, free, shortly connate or epipetalous

SELECTED REFERENCES Airy Shaw, H. K. 1936. Notes on the genus Schima and on the classification of the Theaceae-Camellioideae. Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 496-500. Keng, H. 1952. Comparative morphological studies in Theaceae. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 33: 269-384. Kobuski, C. E. 1951. Studies in the Theaceae, XXI. The species of Theaceae indigenous to the United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 32: 123-138. Prince, L. M. 2007. A brief nomenclatural review of genera and tribes in Theaceae. Aliso 24: 105-121. Prince, L. M. and C. R. Parks. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships of Theaceae inferred from chloroplast DNA data. Amer. J. Bot. 88: 2309-2320. Stevens, P. F. et al. 2004b. Theaceae. In: K. Kubitzki et al., eds. 1990+. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. 9+ vols. Berlin etc. Vol. 6, pp. 463-471. Tsou, C. H. 1997. Embryology of the Theaceae--Anther and ovule development of Camellia, Franklinia, and Schima. Amer. J. Bot. 84: 369-381. Tsou, C. H. 1998. Early floral development of Camellioideae (Theaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 85: 1531-1547. Wood, C. E. Jr. 1959b. The genera of Theaceae of the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 40: 413-419.

Shrubs or trees, glabrous or hairy. Leaves persistent or deciduous, alternate [spiral or distichous], simple; stipules absent; petiole present; blade coriaceous or chartaceous, margins toothed [entire], teeth deciduously gland-tipped. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary [2-3], bracteate. Flowers bisexual; perianth and androecium hypogynous; sepals [4-]5[-14], distinct or connate proximally, concave, relatively thick; petals 5(-8)[-14], distinct or connate proximally; nectary disc absent; stamens (50-)75-125(-150), in 1-5 bundles or not bundled, connate proximally or distinct, usually adnate to petals or corolla; anthers versatile [basifixed], 4-locular, dehiscent by longitudinal slits; pistils 1, [3-](4-)5(-6)[-10]-carpellate; ovary superior, [3-]5[-10]-locular; placentation primarily (falsely; H. Keng 1952) axile; ovules anatropous (campylotropous), bitegmic, tenuinucellate; styles 1 or 5[-6], simple [branched]; stigmas 1-5[-7], usually lobed. Fruits capsular, woody, dehiscence loculicidal and septicidal, [rarely irregular or fruits drupaceous]. Seeds 2-20, reddish brown to dark brown, compressed or lenticular [angular], sometimes winged, (testa vascularized, ± lignified); embryo straight, rarely curved; endosperm nuclear, usually slight.

Trees or shrubs Seeds 1–? endosperm abundant, scanty or absent; embryo straight or curved, sometimes folded or spirally twisted Flowers axillary, solitary or sometimes paired or in fascicles, rarely cymose or in elongated racemes, actinomorphic, bisexual or rarely unisexual, often with one or more pairs of bracteoles below the calyx Leaves alternate or spiral, simple, usually coriaceous, exstipulate Petals usually 5, imbricate, hypogynous, free or shortly connate Sepals usually 5, imbricate, free or shortly connate Fruit a loculicidal capsule (often leaving a persistent central column) or a dry or rarely fleshy berry or drupe, indehiscent or rarely irregularly dehiscent at the apex Ovary superior (rarely apparently semi-inferior), syncarpous, sessile, (1) 2–5 (7)-locular; styles free or united; ovules 2 or more (rarely 1) in each loculus, axile, sometimes pendulous Stamens ? or rarely definite, hypogynous, free or fasciculate or connate at the base to form a tube, sometimes adnate to the base of the petals; anthers versatile or basifixed, often with an apiculate connective-prolongation, dehiscing longitudinally or rarely at first by apical pores; disk absent Seeds 1–? endosperm abundant, scanty or absent; embryo straight or curved, sometimes folded or spirally twisted Flowers axillary, solitary or sometimes paired or in fascicles, rarely cymose or in elongated racemes, actinomorphic, bisexual or rarely unisexual, often with one or more pairs of bracteoles below the calyx Leaves alternate or spiral, simple, usually coriaceous, exstipulate Petals usually 5, imbricate, hypogynous, free or shortly connate Sepals usually 5, imbricate, free or shortly connate Fruit a loculicidal capsule (often leaving a persistent central column) or a dry or rarely fleshy berry or drupe, indehiscent or rarely irregularly dehiscent at the apex Ovary superior (rarely apparently semi-inferior), syncarpous, sessile, (1) 2–5 (7)-locular; styles free or united; ovules 2 or more (rarely 1) in each loculus, axile, sometimes pendulous Stamens ? or rarely definite, hypogynous, free or fasciculate or connate at the base to form a tube, sometimes adnate to the base of the petals; anthers versatile or basifixed, often with an apiculate connective-prolongation, dehiscing longitudinally or rarely at first by apical pores; disk absent