Authority:

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

Family:

Rubiaceae

Description:

Family Description - Fls perfect, mostly 4(–8)-merous, epigynous, sympetalous, regular; cal mostly small, with open aestivation, or obsolete; stamens on the cor-tube, as many as and alternate with the lobes; ovary inferior, mostly 2(–5)-carpellate and plurilocular, with axile (or axile-basal or axile-apical) placentation; style slender, terminal, with lobed or capitate stigma, or (as in Galium) the styles distinct; ovules and seeds 1–many per locule; seeds with a dicotyledonous, usually straight embryo embedded in the oily endosperm; herbs or more often woody plants with simple, mostly entire, commonly decussately opposite lvs and interpetiolar (usually connate) stipules, or with whorled lvs and no stipules, the stipules typically bearing colleters within, or seldom the stipules reduced to mere interpetiolar lines; infls basically cymose. 450/6500, cosmop. but mostly trop. and subtrop.

Common Names:

The madder family