Gunneraceae Meisn.

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Perennial (except for one annual species, G. herteri Osten) herbs with stout pachycaulous rhizomatous stems surrounded by long-petioled leaves reaching up to 3 m in diameter in some species of the Neotropics

Morphology Stem

Stems provided with specialized organs, ontogenetically related to root primordia, that host Nostoc cells forming an endosymbiosis with Gunnera L. These organs covered by leaf-like scales of different sizes and shapes (except for G. herteri)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small and dimerous, grouped in compound or simple racemes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit drupaceous, green or red.

Note

Notes on delimitation: Gunneraceae is considered as sister to the remaining core Eudicots according to recent molecular phylogenetic studies (e.g. Soltis et al. 2003). Number of genera: 1 Gunnera- 38 species in the Neotropics.

Distribution

Gunnera is present in Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela. Native.

Diagnostic

Distinguishing characters (always present): Endosymbiosis with the cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc. Perennial herbs. Stout pachycaulous rhizomapus stems surrounded by large leaves. Specialized organs on the stems host cyanobacteria of teh genus Nostoc- These organs are covered by leaf-like scales. Flowers simple, dimerous and grouped in pseudoterminal racemes. Drupaceous fruits.