The World Flora Online

Herbs [subshrubs, shrubs, vines or trees], annual or perennial. Leaves alternate or whorled, usually palmately or pinnately compound, sometimes 1-foliolate; stipules usually present, rarely apparently absent; petiole present; blade margins entire; venation pinnate or subpalmate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, cymes or racemes, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, perianth and androecium hypogynous; hypanthium absent; sepals 5, distinct or slightly connate basally; petals 5, distinct or slightly connate basally; nectary present; stamens 10 in 2 whorls, connate basally (monadelphous), free; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits; pistil 1, 5-carpellate, ovary superior, 5-locular; placentation axile; ovules (1–)3–8(–10) per locule, anatropous; styles 5, distinct; stigmas 5. Fruits capsules [berries], dehiscence loculicidal, . Seeds 1–10 per locule.

Herbes ou suffrutex, acaules ou caulescents, souvent à bulbes ou rhizomes, souvent rampants, rarement arbres; tiges simples ou ramifiées. Stipules absentes ou présentes. Feuilles alternes ou groupées en rosette au sommet de la tige, pétiolées ou sessiles à subsessiles, digitées ou pennées, rarement unifoliolées; folioles à sommet émarginé ou arrondi à acuminé. Inflorescence axillaire ou terminale, avec une à plusieurs fleurs en cymes ou pseudo-ombelles; bractées présentes. Fleur hermaphrodite, actinomorphe, hétérostylée; sépales 5, libres; pétales 5, libres ou faiblement connés à la base, blancs, rouges, violets ou jaunes à orangés; étamines 5 ou 10, filets ± connés à la base, anthères dorsifixes à basifixes, à 2 thèques parallèles; ovaire supère, 5-loculaire, à placentation axillaire; styles 5, libres, stigmates capités. Fruit une capsule à déhiscence loculicide, rarement une baie. Graines 1 à plusieurs; albumen abondant, ruminé, charnu; embryon droit.

Herbes'acaules ou caulescentes, avec rhizomes ou bulbes, vivaces à souche ligneuse, suffrutex, rarement arbres.'Feuilles'alternes ou groupées en rosettes au sommet des tiges ou des rameaux, parfois sensitives, ou se fermant la nuit, pétiolées ou sessiles, composées, pennées ou digitées, parfois simples, avec ou sans stipules; pétiole articulé au-dessus de l'insertion; feuilles jeunes enroulées en crosse au sommet.'Inflorescences'caulinaires, axillaires, plus rarement terminales, 1-∞- flores, en cymes, subombelles, parfois capitules, racèmes ou panicules ; bractées présentes.'Fleurs'☿, régulières, jaunes, blanches, roses ou violacées, souvent hétérostylées, rarement cleistogames; bractéoles parfois présentes; sépales 5, libres, imbriqués et parfois tordus; pétales 5, courtement onguiculés, libres ou peu connés à la base, tordus dans le bouton; androcée obdiplostémone, à étamines du verticille externe plus courtes et parfois stériles, rarement 15 étamines; filets ± connés à la base; anthères à 2 thèques parallèles, à déhiscence longitudinale; ovaire supère, 5-lobé et 5-loculaire, à placentation axile; ovules 1-∞ par loge; styles en même nombre que les loges, libres, persistants; stigmates capités, parfois ± pénicillés, très rarement 1 style à 1 stigmate capité.'Fruits': généralement capsules, rarement baies ± profondément côtelées ou lobées.'Graines 1-∞, à testa d'abord ± charnu puis sec et souvent élastique; albumen abondant, charnu; embryon droit.\n\t\t\tEnviron 800 espèces groupées en 7 genres, répandues surtout dans les régions tropicales et subtropicales, nombreuses en Amérique et en Afrique du Sud; au Congo belge, 2 genres et 14 espèces dont 2 introduites. Certaines espèces à fruits comestibles,'Averrhoa carambola'L. et'A. bilimbi L. sont cultivées au Congo belge.

Stamens 10, hypogynous, connate at the base, sometimes 5 of them without anthers; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Calyx 5-fid or 5-partite, imbricate Petals 5, shortly clawed, free or shortly connate at the base, contorted Seeds often with an elastic epidermis; endosperm fleshy, copious; embryo straight Fruit mostly a capsule Ovary 5-celled, superior; styles 5, free, persistent; stigmas capitate or shortly divided; ovules 1 or more, axile Herbaceous or suffrutescent, rarely arborescent Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, sometimes of two kinds, some perfect and others minute and apetalous, solitary or subumbellate, rarely racemose or cymose Leaves alternate, digitately or pinnately compound, sometimes simple by suppression of the leaflets; leaflets spirally coiled when young, usually closing at night; stipules absent Calyx 5-fid or 5-partite, imbricate Petals 5, shortly clawed, free or shortly connate at the base, contorted Seeds often with an elastic epidermis; endosperm fleshy, copious; embryo straight Fruit mostly a capsule Ovary 5-celled, superior; styles 5, free, persistent; stigmas capitate or shortly divided; ovules 1 or more, axile Herbaceous or suffrutescent, rarely arborescent Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, sometimes of two kinds, some perfect and others minute and apetalous, solitary or subumbellate, rarely racemose or cymose Leaves alternate, digitately or pinnately compound, sometimes simple by suppression of the leaflets; leaflets spirally coiled when young, usually closing at night; stipules absent

Petals 5, contorted or imbricate, free or slightly connate at the base Stamens 10 (15), 2 (3)-seriate; anthers versatile, 2-thecous; filaments ± connate at the base Ovary superior, 5-locular; loculi 1-?-ovulate, with axile placentation; styles 5 (rarely 1), free; stigmas capitate, entire Annual or perennial herbs, rarely trees or shrubs or shrublets Leaves alternate, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipule-like expansions at the base of the petiole), digitately or pinnately 1-? -foliolate Flowers in axillary cymes or in pseudumbels or solitary, actinomorphic or nearly so, bisexual, 5-merous, often heterostylous, sometimes cleistogamous and reduced Sepals 5, free, imbricate (rarely valvate) Endosperm fleshy or absent Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent capsule (rarely baccate) Stamens 10 (15), 2 (3)-seriate; anthers versatile, 2-thecous; filaments ± connate at the base Ovary superior, 5-locular; loculi 1-?-ovulate, with axile placentation; styles 5 (rarely 1), free; stigmas capitate, entire Annual or perennial herbs, rarely trees or shrubs or shrublets Leaves alternate, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipule-like expansions at the base of the petiole), digitately or pinnately 1-? -foliolate Flowers in axillary cymes or in pseudumbels or solitary, actinomorphic or nearly so, bisexual, 5-merous, often heterostylous, sometimes cleistogamous and reduced Sepals 5, free, imbricate (rarely valvate) Endosperm fleshy or absent Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent capsule (rarely baccate)

Fls perfect, hypogynous, regular, 5-merous; pet mostly convolute and distinct; stamens generally bicyclic, the filaments all connate at base; nectary-disk wanting but the outer filaments often glandular-thickened below or subtended by a gland; carpels 5, united to form a compound, plurilocular ovary with axile placentas and distinct, terminal styles; ovules 2–several per locule, epitropous and ± pendulous; fr generally a loculicidal capsule; seeds commonly with a large basal aril; embryo large, straight, spatulate, with 2 cotyledons; endosperm oily, usually copious; mostly herbs with alternate (or all basal), compound (often trifoliolate) lvs and axillary, often pedunculate, cymose to umbelliform infls that may be reduced to a single fl. 7–8/900, ± cosmop.

Sepals 5, free, with imbricate aestivation Petals 5, free or somewhat adherent near the base Leaves basically alternate, exstipulate or stipulate, simple or, more usually, digitately or pinnately compound Flowers in axillary cymes or in pseudumbels or solitary, regular, hermaphrodite Fruit a capsule dehiscing loculicidally, or a berry Seeds with the endosperm fleshy or absent; embryo straight Stamens 10(15), 2(3)-seriate; filaments fused below to form a tube with alternate short and long stamens; anthers 2-thecous, versatile, opening inwards Ovary superior, 5-locular; styles 5, rarely 1; stigmas capitate, entire, bifid or laciniate; ovules 1–many in each locule; placentation axile Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, rarely shrubs or trees Petals 5, free or somewhat adherent near the base Leaves basically alternate, exstipulate or stipulate, simple or, more usually, digitately or pinnately compound Flowers in axillary cymes or in pseudumbels or solitary, regular, hermaphrodite Fruit a capsule dehiscing loculicidally, or a berry Seeds with the endosperm fleshy or absent; embryo straight Stamens 10(15), 2(3)-seriate; filaments fused below to form a tube with alternate short and long stamens; anthers 2-thecous, versatile, opening inwards Ovary superior, 5-locular; styles 5, rarely 1; stigmas capitate, entire, bifid or laciniate; ovules 1–many in each locule; placentation axile Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, rarely shrubs or trees

Herbs, annual or perennial, sometimes shrubs or trees. Stipules absent or small. Leaves alternate or whorled, basal or cauline, pinnate or palmate; leaflets often folded together at night, margin always entire. Inflorescences umbellate, cymose, or racemose, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, usually heteromorphic, heterostylous. Sepals 5, distinct or basally connate, imbricate, rarely valvate. Petals 5, sometimes basally slightly connate, convolute. Stamens 10, in 2 whorls of 5; outer whorl usually with shorter filaments, opposite petals; filaments connate near base; anthers 2-celled, with longitudinal slits. Ovary superior; carpels 5 and fused; placentation axile, each locule with (1 or)2 to several ovules; styles 5, distinct; stigmas capitate or shortly 2-cleft. Fruit a loculicidal capsule or a berry. Seeds often with basal aril involved in explosive ejection of seed from capsule; endosperm fleshy.