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Simaroubaceae

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Flowering Plants. Eudicots

Part of the book series: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants ((FAMILIES GENERA,volume 10))

Abstract

Trees and shrubs, occasionally with thorns; pith conspicuous; triterpenoid compounds of the quassinoid type present throughout vegetative tissues. Leaves alternate, spirally arranged, estipulate (stipules found in Picrasma), pinnately compound or unifoliolate (rarely trifoliolate); leaflets entire, coarsely toothed, serrate or basally lobed, sometimes with conspicuous pitted or flattened glands beneath or above; venation pinnate, brochidodromus or occasionally reticulate. Hairs mostly simple, unicellular or multicellular, sometimes glandular-capitate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary determinate thyrses, sometimes appearing raceme-like, pseudo-umbellate, catkin-like or flowers clustered in leaf axils. Flowers perfect, polygamous or unisexual, actinomorphic, bracteate (bracts large and surrounding flowers in Leitneria); pedicels bracteolate, occasionally jointed; sepals 4–5 (0 in Leitneria), connate below, calyx sometimes splitting unevenly, occasionally bearing glands; petals 4–5(–8) (0 in Leitneria), distinct; stamens 4–10(–18), distinct; filaments often with hairy appendage; anthers dorsifixed, basifixed or versatile, dehiscing by 2 longitudinal slits, introrse (occasionally extrorse to latrorse); ovary superior, of (1)2–5 carpels, distinct or connate basally, occasionally connate axially and deeply lobed; placentation axile; ovule one per locule, anatropous; stylodia distinct or connate into a common style, occasionally absent; stigmas on stellately spreading stigmatic branches, or a single slightly lobed or capitate stigma; fruit with 1–5 samaroid or drupaceous mericarps; exocarp thin, fleshy, occasionally dry, nut-like, often carinate; endocarp reticulate or crustaceous; testa membranaceous, cotyledons planoconvex; endosperm mostly lacking.

Simaroubaceae DC. (1811), nom. cons. Leitneriaceae Benth. & Hook.f. (1880).

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Clayton, J.W. (2010). Simaroubaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (eds) Flowering Plants. Eudicots. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, vol 10. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14397-7_18

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