Actinidiaceae

Description

Number of genera: 3

Number of species: 300

Description (from PLANTAE): Trees, shrubs or lianas. Calcium oxylate crystals present. New growth often with scales and trichomes. Plants monoecious, dioecious or polygamous. Leaves alternate, simple; blades chartaceous to coriaceous, the margins often serrate. Inflorescences axillary, sometimes cauliflorous, panicles or racemes, ultimate units basically cymose, sometimes reduced to 1 or few flowers, bracteate. Flowers actinomorphic, unisexual or bisexual (plants dioecious or polygamo-dioecious); perianth biseriate, sepals and petals usually 5 (sometimes 4 or 7), free or basally connate, the sepals imbricate, usually green, persistent in fruit, the petals convolute, usually white; androecium free or adnate to the base of the petals, the stamens usually numerous or as few as 10, distinct or in 5 antipetalous fascicles, the filaments white, the anthers versatile and inverted, dehiscent basally (but appearing apically) by pores or short slits; gynoecium syncarpous, the ovary superior, the locules 3-many, the placentation essentially axile, the ovules 10-many per locule, the styles distinct or connate, often radiate. Fruits usually berries, rarely loculicidal capsules. Seeds numerous, black.

Distribution (from PLANTAE): Widespread in the tropics and subtropics

Map Distribution

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