Ledocarpaceae

Abstract

Shrubs, rarely subshrubs or perennial or annual herbs, 0.3–1.5(-4)m tall, stems erect or ascending, strongly branched, often differentiated into sometimes spinescent brachyblasts and dolichoblasts, stems tough, initially with white or brownish pith, terete, with greyish brown bark, underground stems occasionally present. Indumentum of simple, unicellular trichomes and uniseriate trichomes with a single-celled gland-tip, usually very dense on leaves, stems, calyx and ovary. Leaves evergreen or semi-deciduous, opposite or subopposite, rarely in whorls of three, shortly petiolate to sessile, petiole with clasping base, estipulate, lamina entire or pinnatifid to pinnate to trifoliolate, margin entire or serrate;interpetiolar line often present. Inflorescences terminal cymoids or pleiothyrsoids, with monochasial to asymmetrically dichasial paraclades, often reduced to 2–3 flowers, or a terminal flower only, frondose-bracteose, individual flowers of Balbisia subtended by prophylls. Flowers perfect, actinomorphic, pentamerous;sepals free or united in proximal half, imbricate with valvate tips, persistent in fruit;petals 5(4 or 0), free, with contort aestivation;stamens (4, 5, 4 + 4)5 + 5, usually obdiplostemonous and heterantherous, typically 5 long and 5 short; filaments sometimes with pair of basal appendages;gynoecium of 3–5 carpels;style single, very short, with 3–5 long stigmatic branches;ovary 3–5-lobed, with 1–20, pendulous, campylotropous ovules in each locule; placentation axile. Fruits septicidal or septifragous capsules with five 1-many-seeded locules;embryo straight or cochlear with spirally folded cotyledons;endosperm present, exotesta poorly developed or absent, occasionally mucilaginous.