Illiciaceae

Abstract

Small trees or shrubs, aromatic. Leaves alternate, spirally arranged, often distally clustered or in false whorls; margin entire; blade simple, thin coriaceous, glabrous; stipules absent. Flowers solitary, rarely 2–3 together in glomerules, axillary, supra-axillary or subterminal. Flowers small to medium-sized, white, yellow or reddish purple, bisexual, actinomorphic, hypogynous; receptacle usually short-conical; perianth segments generally 12–30 (rarely 7–33), several-seriate, the outermost ones small, bract-like, the inner ones gradually larger, lanceolate or ovate, sepaloid and then petaloid, the innermost ones often reduced in size, sometimes transitional to the stamens. Stamens few to numerous (4 to 40, rarely to 50), free, 1- to several-seriate; development centripetal; anthers basifixed, tetrasporangiate, lanceolate-oblong, opening introrse-laterally by longitudinal slits; connective slightly produced at apex; filaments subulate. Carpels 7–15 (rarely 5–21), arranged in one whorl, free, laterally compressed and attached to the receptacle; styles short, stigmatic along the upper side; ovules solitary, anatropous, bitegmic, crassinucellate, borne ventrally near the base. Fruit an aggregate of follicles. Seeds ellipsoid, laterally flattened; testa crustaceous, glossy, with a subbasal hilum; endosperm copious, oily; embryo minute, straight.