Monographs Details:
Authority:
Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Meliaceae
Meliaceae
Synonyms:
Barbilus, Portesia, Odontandra, Moschoxylum, Odontosiphon, Barola Adans., Acrilia, Pholacilia, Acanthotrichilia, Trichilia hirta L.
Barbilus, Portesia, Odontandra, Moschoxylum, Odontosiphon, Barola Adans., Acrilia, Pholacilia, Acanthotrichilia, Trichilia hirta L.
Description:
Genus Description - Trees or treelets. Buds usually naked, rarely subtended by a cluster of small scale leaves. Indumentum usually of simple hairs, less frequently of malpighiaceous, dibrachiate or stellate hairs, or of peltate scales. Leaves usually pinnate, less frequently trifoliolate or unifoliolate, rarely digitate. Leaflets sometimes glandular-punctate and -striate. Flowers usually unisexual (plants dioecious), less frequently bisexual and then plants polygamous, in axillary thyrsoid panicles, rarely fasciculate or corymbose, or reduced to a few-flowered raceme. Calyx usually shallowly to deeply (3-)4-6-lobed, less frequently sepals free, aestivation usually open, less frequently imbricate, rarely quincuncial. Petals (3-)4-5(-6), free or partially united, imbricate, valvate, or rarely quincuncial. Filaments completely united to form a cyathiform, urceolate or short cylindrical staminal tube, margin usually toothed or lobed, or rarely entire, or filaments partly (rarely completely) free and then with or without 2 terminal lobes or appendages. Anthers (4-)5-10(-ll), hairy or glabrous, inserted between teeth or lobes on margin of staminal tube, or apically on filaments; antherodes narrower than anthers, not dehiscing, without pollen. Nectary usually a fleshy annulus surrounding base of ovary, less frequently broadly stipitate, patelliform, or cyathiform, occasionally partly fused to base of staminal tube, or absent. Ovary 2-3(-4)-locular, loculi with 1-2 collateral or less frequently superposed ovules; pistillode smaller but often with well-developed abortive ovules. Style-head usually capitate, less frequently conical or columnar, with or without lobes. Fruit a 2-3(-4)-valved loculicidal capsule; valves leathery or woody, loculi 1 or 2-seeded. Seed ± planoconvex, partly or completely surrounded by a thin or fleshy arillode, rarely with a complete sarcotesta; usually exendospermous, rarely with copious endosperm. Embryo with plano-convex or less frequently thin and flat, collateral or rarely superposed cotyledons; radicle superior, included or occasionally exserted; rarely with superposed cotyledons and central included radicle.
Genus Description - Trees or treelets. Buds usually naked, rarely subtended by a cluster of small scale leaves. Indumentum usually of simple hairs, less frequently of malpighiaceous, dibrachiate or stellate hairs, or of peltate scales. Leaves usually pinnate, less frequently trifoliolate or unifoliolate, rarely digitate. Leaflets sometimes glandular-punctate and -striate. Flowers usually unisexual (plants dioecious), less frequently bisexual and then plants polygamous, in axillary thyrsoid panicles, rarely fasciculate or corymbose, or reduced to a few-flowered raceme. Calyx usually shallowly to deeply (3-)4-6-lobed, less frequently sepals free, aestivation usually open, less frequently imbricate, rarely quincuncial. Petals (3-)4-5(-6), free or partially united, imbricate, valvate, or rarely quincuncial. Filaments completely united to form a cyathiform, urceolate or short cylindrical staminal tube, margin usually toothed or lobed, or rarely entire, or filaments partly (rarely completely) free and then with or without 2 terminal lobes or appendages. Anthers (4-)5-10(-ll), hairy or glabrous, inserted between teeth or lobes on margin of staminal tube, or apically on filaments; antherodes narrower than anthers, not dehiscing, without pollen. Nectary usually a fleshy annulus surrounding base of ovary, less frequently broadly stipitate, patelliform, or cyathiform, occasionally partly fused to base of staminal tube, or absent. Ovary 2-3(-4)-locular, loculi with 1-2 collateral or less frequently superposed ovules; pistillode smaller but often with well-developed abortive ovules. Style-head usually capitate, less frequently conical or columnar, with or without lobes. Fruit a 2-3(-4)-valved loculicidal capsule; valves leathery or woody, loculi 1 or 2-seeded. Seed ± planoconvex, partly or completely surrounded by a thin or fleshy arillode, rarely with a complete sarcotesta; usually exendospermous, rarely with copious endosperm. Embryo with plano-convex or less frequently thin and flat, collateral or rarely superposed cotyledons; radicle superior, included or occasionally exserted; rarely with superposed cotyledons and central included radicle.
Distribution:
Africa| Asia|
Africa| Asia|