Cleomaceae

Abstract

The Cleomaceae, in the order of Brassicales, is a Dicotyledoneae flowering plant family, comprising about 17 genera with more than 150 species, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Plants are usually herbaceous, sometimes woody at base, and climbing shrubs or small trees. Stems are erect, sparsely or profusely branched, and glabrous or glandular pubescent. Leaves are simple, spirally arranged or palmately compound, alternate, with 1–11 leaflets. Leaflet blades are with pinnate venation. Stipules are scalelike or absent, caduceus. Petiole is often pulvinate. Inflorescences are racemes or corymbs or flowers solitary and axillary, with peduncle present and bract present or absent at base of pedicels. Pedicels are present, and bracteoles are absent. Flowers are bisexual but sometimes appearing unisexual due to incomplete development, actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic, rotate, crateriform, campanulate, or urceolate, and hypogynous. Sepals are 4, distinct or basally connate, and persistent. Petals are 4, distinct, imbricate, attached directly to receptacle, with intrastaminal nectary-disk or glands present or sometimes absent. Stamens are 6–32 with filament-free or basally adnate to gynophore, anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits and pollen shed in single grains, and 2-nucleate, commonly 3-colporate. Pistil is 1, 2-carpellate. Ovary is superior. Ovules are 1 to many per locule, 2-tegmic, anatropous, and placentation parietal. Style is 1, straight, short and thick. Stigma 1, capitate, and unlobed. Fruit is an elongate capsule, dehiscent by lateral valves along their entire length, usually stipitate from elongation of gynophore. Seeds are 1–40 per capsule, tan, yellowish brown, or brown, cochleate-reniform, papillose or tuberculate, arillate or not. Endosperm is scanty or none but with a persistent perisperm sometimes present. Only one species, belonging Cleome Linn. genus, is illustrated in this chapter.