Anacardiaceae

  • Family

    Anacardiaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Anacardiaceae

  • Common Names

    Sumac Family

  • Description

    Number of genera: 60-80

    Number of species: 600

    Description (from PLANTAE): Trees, shrubs, woody lianas, rarely subshrubs (some species of Rhus) or perennial herbs, with vertical resin ducts (or latex channels) in bark, larger leaf veins, etc., the resin often allergenic. Leaves alternate (spiral) or rarely opposite, imparipinnate or trifoliate, less often simple, without stipules or very rarely with inconspicuous and vestigial stipules. Flowers in terminal or axillary and usually paniculate infloresences, mostly unisexul (often with rudiments of other sex), seldom apetalous or even withiout parianth (e.g., male flowers of Pistacia). Sepals and petals each (3)5(-7), valvate or imbricate. Sepals usually connate. Petals free or less often basally connate. Stamens 10-5, rarely more numerous or only 1 fertile stamen; filaments free or rarely basally connate, borne outside or rarely within the disk. Nectary disk usually annular, sometimes 5-lobed, modified into a short gynophore, as in Anacardium. Gynoecium sometimes of 5(4-6) or occasinally up to 12 (as In Pleiogynium) free carpels and then usually only one fertile (as in Buchanania and Androtium) or monomerous (as in Mangifera, Anacardium and related genera ), but mor eoften it consists of 3, less often 4-5 or 2 united carpels; stylodia free or united into a style; ovary superior or rarely (Drimycarpus, Holigarna) inferior, in plurilocular ovaries often with only one locule fully developed, with 1 apical and pendulous to basal and erect ovule in each carpel or each fertile locule. Ovules anatropous, apotropous, unitegmic or bitegmic, often with placental obturator at the base of the long funiculus. Fruits usually drupaceous, with more or less resinous mesocarp. Seeds usually with more or less curved oily embryo; endosperm scanty or none.

    Distribution (from PLANTAE): Mainly tropical and subtropical regions, with some specis in warm-temperate zones.

  • Floras and Monographs

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