Ancistrocladaceae Planch. ex Walp.

First published in Ann. Bot. Syst. (Walpers) 2(1): 175. 1851 [15-16 Dec 1851] (1851)
This family is accepted

Descriptions

Ancistrocladaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit
Scandent shrubs with hook-like branchlets
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, simple, entire, leathery; indumentum absent; stipules inconspicuous or caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite, actmomorphic, small, soon falling off, in terminal panicles, the branches of which are recurved
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube at first short, at length adnate to the base of the ovary, with imbricate lobes; tube adnate to the fruit, with spreading wing-like unequal lobes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, unequal, contorted, slightly connate at the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens perigynous, 5 or 10; anther-cells slightly unequal, with a shortly produced connective
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Ovary 1-celled; ovule solitary; style thick and fleshy, with 3 stigmas
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit turbinate, surrounded by the wing-like calyx-lobes, with a leathery indehiscent pericarp
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed subglobose; testa intruding between the folds of the embryo; cotyledons strikingly folded
[FWTA]

Ancistrocladaceae, J. Léonard (Jardin botanique nationale de Belgique). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1986

Morphology General Habit
Lianas or scandent shrubs; branches sympodial, provided with a series of circinate woody hooks in one plane
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, entire, simple, glabrous, coriaceous, some generally larger scattered on the main shoots, others often smaller crowded in rosettes on flowering shoots, all cuneiform, penninerved, reticulately veined, minutely pitted on both surfaces, each pit with a peltate small hair secreting a wax-like substance; petiole articulated, often leaving a saddle-shaped scar on the twigs
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules small, very caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary or pseudo-terminal, dichotomously branched or spike-like, sometimes provided with hooks; pedicels articulated
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, 5-merous, very caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube short, adnate to the base of the ovary; sepals imbricate, ± unequal, soon accrescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals free, contorted or imbricate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens mostly 10, rarely 5 or to 15, perigynous, in 1–2 cycles, alternately unequal; filaments short, ± united at the base, with broadened base; anthers basifixed, generally introrse, 2-thecous, opening lengthwise
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Ovary for the greater part inferior, tricarpellate, 1-locular, protruding into an enlarging nipple-shaped elongation bearing 3 articulated erect free or united styles with 3 stigmas; ovule 1, basal, hemianatropous, with 2 integuments
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a non-dehiscent dry nut, 1-seeded, crowned by the generally unequal and wing-like enlarged sepals
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds with a thin testa intruding between the cerebral-like folds of the endosperm
[FTEA]

Sources

  • 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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0