The World Flora Online

Arbres, rarement arbustes, fréquemment aromatiques, à feuilles isolées, simples et sans stipules, à limbe penninerve entier avec glandes translucides. Fleurs petites, régulières, dioïques, apétales, disposées en grappes d'ombelles ou de capitules, ou en ombelles ou capitules isolés. Le calice compte 3 (rarement 2-5) lobes valvaires. Dans les fleurs mâles, de 2 à 30 étamines à filets soudés en colonne, à anthères extrorses s'ouvrant par deux fentes, libres ou soudées en massue, ovaire rudimentaire ou nul. Dans les fleurs femelles, pas de staminodes; pistil comprenant un seul carpelle antérieur; ovaire supère contenant un seul ovule anatrope ascendant à raphé ventral; stigmate subsessile. Fruit charnu, généralement déhiscent en deux valves. Graine pourvue d'un arille charnu ou sec, entier ou lacinié, souvent coloré en rouge ou en orange; tégument dur; albumen abondant plus ou moins profondément ruminé; embryon petit, à cotylédons souvent divergents.

Arbres'monoïques ou dioïques, parfois élevés.'Feuilles'alternes, distiques, exstipulées, entières, penninerves, quelquefois munies de points translucides.'Inflorescences'axillaires ou extraaxillaires, rarement terminales, capituliformes ou formées de fleurs réunies sur des réceptacles solitaires ou groupées en racèmes ou en panicules; bractées généralement caduques; bractéoles rarement présentes.'Fleurs'♂♀ à périgone (2) 3-4 (5)-lobé, infundibuliforme, campanulé, urcéolé ou patelliforme; lobes valvaires.'Fleurs'♂ à 2-30 étamines; filets soudés, formant quelquefois au sommet un disque ou une masse globuleuse; anthères libres ou soudées, biloculaires, nautiques ou légèrement apiculées, à déhiscence longitudinale.'Fleurs'♀ à ovaire supère 1-loculaire, sessile; style très petit ou absent, à 2 stigmates indistincts, ± soudés; ovule l,anatrope.'Fruits'à péricarpe charnu ou coriace, généralement déhiscent en 2 valves.'Graines à arille entier, lobé ou lacinié, mince ou charnu souvent très coloré; testa formé le plus fréquemment de 3 couches, l'extérieure membraneuse ou charnue, la médiane ligneuse, l'intérieure membraneuse pénétrant quelquefois dans les plis de l'endosperme; endosperme abondant, entier ou ruminé, oléagineux; embryon très petit, à cotylédons basilaires et subdressés. Famille pantropicale, comprenant ± 16 genres et 240 espèces.

Fruit fleshy, usually dehiscing by two valves Seeds erect, with a thin or fleshy, sometimes laciniate, often coloured aril; endosperm copious, replete with fat and often starch, mostly ruminate; embryo small; cotyledons ascending or spreading, sometimes connate Trees, often large and frequently aromatic Leaves alternate, entire, penninerved, often with pellucid dots; stipules absent Flowers small, dioecious, apetalous, fascicled, racemose, umbellate or capitate Calyx 3- (rarely 2–5–) lobed, funnel-shaped to globose or saucer-shaped, lobes valvate Male flower: stamens 2–30; filaments united into a column; anthers 2-celled, free or united in a mass, dehiscing longitudinally; rudimentary ovary absent Female flower: staminodes absent; ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled; stigma subsessile; ovule 1, almost basal Seeds erect, with a thin or fleshy, sometimes laciniate, often coloured aril; endosperm copious, replete with fat and often starch, mostly ruminate; embryo small; cotyledons ascending or spreading, sometimes connate Trees, often large and frequently aromatic Leaves alternate, entire, penninerved, often with pellucid dots; stipules absent Flowers small, dioecious, apetalous, fascicled, racemose, umbellate or capitate Calyx 3- (rarely 2–5–) lobed, funnel-shaped to globose or saucer-shaped, lobes valvate Male flower: stamens 2–30; filaments united into a column; anthers 2-celled, free or united in a mass, dehiscing longitudinally; rudimentary ovary absent Female flower: staminodes absent; ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled; stigma subsessile; ovule 1, almost basal

Female flowers 1-carpellate; ovary superior, usually sessile; style small or absent; stigmas ± 2-lobed; ovule 1, usually anatropous Fruits a drupe with a fleshy or leathery pericarp, mostly dehiscing into 2 valves Flowers unisexual, small, actinomorphic, whitish-yellow, pink or red; perianth saucer- or funnel-shaped, campanulate or urceolate, (2)3–4(5)-valvately lobed Male flowers with 2–30(40) stamens; filaments partially or completely fused into a column; anthers laterally connate, rarely free, 2-thecous, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; rudimentary ovary absent Seeds partially or completely enveloped by an often brightly coloured laciniate or subentire fleshy aril; testa usually in 3 layers, the outer membranous or fleshy, the middle one woody and the inner one membranous, usually intruding into the folds of the endosperm; endosperm abundant, entire or ruminate, very oily; embryo very small with basal suberect, spreading or connate cotyledons Inflorescences paniculate, fasciculate-racemose, or capitate, sometimes apparently cymose; bracts often present, usually deciduous, bracteoles mostly absent Trees or shrubs, rarely lianes, evergreen or rarely deciduous, often aromatic, dioecious or monoecious, sap coloured Leaves alternate, simple, entire, often gland-dotted; exstipulate Indumentum of stellate-branching, shortly-stalked T-shaped or uniseriate hairs Fruits a drupe with a fleshy or leathery pericarp, mostly dehiscing into 2 valves Flowers unisexual, small, actinomorphic, whitish-yellow, pink or red; perianth saucer- or funnel-shaped, campanulate or urceolate, (2)3–4(5)-valvately lobed Male flowers with 2–30(40) stamens; filaments partially or completely fused into a column; anthers laterally connate, rarely free, 2-thecous, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; rudimentary ovary absent Seeds partially or completely enveloped by an often brightly coloured laciniate or subentire fleshy aril; testa usually in 3 layers, the outer membranous or fleshy, the middle one woody and the inner one membranous, usually intruding into the folds of the endosperm; endosperm abundant, entire or ruminate, very oily; embryo very small with basal suberect, spreading or connate cotyledons Inflorescences paniculate, fasciculate-racemose, or capitate, sometimes apparently cymose; bracts often present, usually deciduous, bracteoles mostly absent Trees or shrubs, rarely lianes, evergreen or rarely deciduous, often aromatic, dioecious or monoecious, sap coloured Leaves alternate, simple, entire, often gland-dotted; exstipulate Indumentum of stellate-branching, shortly-stalked T-shaped or uniseriate hairs

Evergreen trees, with tawny or red juice in bark or around heart wood. Leaves simple, alternate, entire, exstipulate, with pinnate veins, often pellucid punctate, spirally or distichously arranged. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, racemose, capitate, or cymose; flowers fascicled, in various racemose arrangements or clusters; bracts caducous; bracteoles inserted on pedicels or at base of perianth. Plants monoecious or dioecious. Flowers small, unisexual. Perianth gamophyllous; lobes (2 or)3-5, valvate. Stamens 2-40 (often 16-18 in China); filaments connate into a column (staminal column) or peltate disk (staminal disk), apex with anthers connivent or connate into disciform, globose, or elongate synandrium; anthers 2-locular, extrorse, dehiscing longitudinally, adnate to column abaxially, or free. Ovary superior, sessile, 1-locular, anatropous ovule 1, inserted near base; style short or lacking; stigma 2-lobed or lobes connate into a disk, with 2 fissures or with lacerate margin. Fruit with pericarp leathery-fleshy, or near woody, dehiscent into 2 valves. Seed 1, large, arillate; aril fleshy, entire or shallowly or deeply lacerate; testa of 3 or 4 layers, outer layer crustose, middle layer often woody and rather thick, inner layer membranous; endosperm often with volatile oil, ruminate or wrinkled, containing fat (mainly 14C fatty acid) and little amylum; embryo near base. Pollen often with slender reticulate pattern. x = 9, 21, 25.

Seeds with a thin or fleshy often highly coloured entire, lobed or laciniate aril; testa usually in 3 layers, the outer membranous or fleshy, the middle one woody, the inner one membranous and usually intruding into the folds of the endosperm; endosperm abundant, entire or ruminate, very oily; embryo very small, with basal suberect, spreading or connate cotyledons Fruits with fleshy or leathery pericarp, mostly dehiscent into 2 valves Female flowers: ovary 1-locular, superior, usually sessile; style very small or absent; stigmas 2, indistinct, ± joined; ovule 1, usually anatropous Male flowers: stamens 2–30(–40); filaments joined into a column; anthers adnate to the column, arranged in a ring, free, or fused into a globular mass, 2-thecous, muticous or slightly apiculate, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; rudimentary ovary absent Flowers with perianth infundibuliform, campanulate, urceolate or patelliform with (2–)3–4(–5) valvate lobes Inflorescences axillary or extra-axillary, rarely terminal, capitate, umbellate, fascicled or racemose, the partial inflorescences in fairly lax to dense panicles or compound heads; bracts often present, usually deciduous; bracteoles mostly absent Trees or very occasionally lianes, dioecious or rarely monoecious, frequently aromatic, evergreen or rarely deciduous (some Virola species) Leaves alternate, entire, pinnately nerved, sometimes with gland dots; stipules absent Fruits with fleshy or leathery pericarp, mostly dehiscent into 2 valves Female flowers: ovary 1-locular, superior, usually sessile; style very small or absent; stigmas 2, indistinct, ± joined; ovule 1, usually anatropous Male flowers: stamens 2–30(–40); filaments joined into a column; anthers adnate to the column, arranged in a ring, free, or fused into a globular mass, 2-thecous, muticous or slightly apiculate, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; rudimentary ovary absent Flowers with perianth infundibuliform, campanulate, urceolate or patelliform with (2–)3–4(–5) valvate lobes Inflorescences axillary or extra-axillary, rarely terminal, capitate, umbellate, fascicled or racemose, the partial inflorescences in fairly lax to dense panicles or compound heads; bracts often present, usually deciduous; bracteoles mostly absent Trees or very occasionally lianes, dioecious or rarely monoecious, frequently aromatic, evergreen or rarely deciduous (some Virola species) Leaves alternate, entire, pinnately nerved, sometimes with gland dots; stipules absent