Simaroubaceae DC.
First published in Nouv. Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris 2: 209. 1811 [Jan 1811] (as "Simarubeae") (1811)
This family is accepted
Descriptions
Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Distribution
- A family of about 20 genera and about 110 species, distributed throughout the tropics and extending into the northern subtropics.
- Recognition
- Simaroubaceae are trees and shrubs with bitter-tasting bark, compound (sometimes unifoliolate) leaves, a conspicuous pith in the twigs which makes dry specimens noticeably light, the petiole or rachis often shrunken in dry material, glands often present in the lamina, and the superior ovary is comprised of several free, or almost free (fused at the base), carpels, developing into samaroid or drupaceous mericarps. They are often used as medicinal plants.
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees and shrubs
- Morphology General Thorns
- Thorns sometimes present, pith conspicuous
- Morphology General Indumentum
- Indumentum when present of simple hairs
- Morphology Leaves Stipules
- Stipules absent (except Picrasma)
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate or spirally arranged, simple, unifoliolate or pinnately compound, leaflets alternate or opposite, margins entire to serrate, pitted glands sometimes present on lamina surface, venation pinnate or brochidodromous, lower orders of venation often reticulate. Inflorescences axillary, occasionally terminal, thyrses, pseudo-umbels, pseudo-racemes or fascicles
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual or functionally unisexual and plants monoecious, 4–5-merous; calyx lobes fused at the base; petals free or fused into a tube; stamens 4–10, filaments free, often appendaged, anthers dithecal, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; disk intrastaminal, often inconspicuous; ovary superior, apocarpous or subapocarpous, of 2–5 carpels, ovules 1–2 per carpel, styles 1–5, stigmas lobed or capitate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruits with samaroid or drupaceous mericarps, carpels sometimes abortive exocarp often reticulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed 1(–2) per mericarp.
Simaroubaceae, Brian Stannard. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2000
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, occasionally scandent, sometimes spiny, usually containing bitter substances; pubescence usually simple, sometimes glandular
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves spirally arranged, pinnate or simple, exstipulate or with stipular spines (Harrisonia)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences paniculate, racemose or cymose
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers bisexual, unisexual or polygamous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx of 3–5(–6) sepals nearly always partly united, valvate to slightly imbricate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 3–5(–9), rarely absent (not in Flora area), usually free, imbricate or valvate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens 4–10, inserted at the base of a disc, free, sometimes with a scale attached at the base of the filament
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Disc annular, pulviniform, cupular or sometimes inconspicuous (at least in dried specimens)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary globose or 2–5(–6+)-lobed, 2–5(–6+)-locular with 1(–2) ovules per locule, or with free carpels; styles (2–)4–8, free or variously connate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a berry or composed of drupaceous mericarps or dry mericarps attached to a central carpophore
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed with little or no endosperm
Simaroubaceae, H. Wild and J. B. Phipps. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees, shrubs or shrublets, occasionally ± sarmentose, sometimes spiny and with pubescence of simple, sometimes glandular hairs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate (at least in our area), pinnate or sometimes simple, exstipulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences paniculate, bracteate (in our area)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers bisexual, unisexual or polygamous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx 2–5-lobed, often very deeply so
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals (3) 4–5 (9), imbricate or valvate, very rarely united in a tube (not in our area), very rarely absent (not in our area)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Disk annular, cupular, or sometimes fused with the ovary, rarely absent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens 4–10 (18), rarely ? (not in our area), free, sometimes with a scale adnate at the base of the filament
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary subentire or rarely (2) 4–5-lobed, (1) 2–5-locular; loculi 1-ovulate or rarely 2-ovulate, or sometimes with 2–5 free carpels; styles (2) 4–5, free or variously united
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a berry, or of separate drupaceous mericarps or dry angled mericarps suspended from a central carpophore
Simaroubaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958
- Morphology General Habit
- Trees or shrubs, sometimes with bitter bark, rarely spiny
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, imparipinnate, rarely simple, not or very rarely gland-dotted; stipules absent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers small, unisexual or polygamous, actinomorphic
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx-lobes 3–5
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 3–5, imbricate or valvate, rarely absent, free or united into a tube
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Disk present
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens inserted at the base of the disk, equal or double the number of the petals, rarely more numerous, free, sometimes with a scale at the base; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary 2–5-lobed, 1–5-celled, or carpels quite separate; styles 2–5; ovules usually solitary, rarely 2 or more, axile
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit usually indehiscent, dry or drupaceous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds with or without endosperm; embryo straight or curved
Sources
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Flora Zambesiaca
- Flora Zambesiaca
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- Flora of West Tropical Africa
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
- The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
- © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Trees of New Guinea
- Trees of New Guinea
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0