Caryophyllaceae

Abstract

Caryophyllaceae, also known as the pink family or carnation family, in the order of Caryophyllales, is a family of Dicotyledoneae flowering plants, consisting of about 81 genera with approximately 2625 species, widely spread, mainly in N temperate or warm-temperate regions. Plants are usually annual or perennial herbaceous, and rarely subshrubs. Stem nodes are usually inflated. Leaves are simple, opposite, decussate, entire or slightly dentate, and usually connate basically. Stipules are scarious or absent. Flowers are bisexual, rarely unisexual, actinomorphic, and usually arranged to dichasial cyme. Sepals are 4–5, free, imbricate, or connate to a tube, margins usually membranous, and persistent. Petals are isomerous to sepals, rarely absent, free, and clawed. Stamens are isomerous and alternate to petals, or twice as many as petals, and sometimes fewer than petals. Anthers are 2-loculed, and longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary is superior, 1-loculed, or basally imperfectly 2–5-loculed. They are free central placentation. Disk is small, annular, or divided to glands. Ovules are 1 to numerous. Styles are 2–5, free of connate. Fruit is usually a capsule, apically valvate dehiscence or denticidal dehiscence, rarely a berry or an achene. Seeds are 1 to numerous, and embryo is often curved, surrounding perisperm. Ten species, belonging to seven genera, are illustrated in the chapter.