Cardiopteridaceae

Abstract

Twining lianas (Cardiopteris) or evergreen trees or shrubs; laticifers present (Cardiopteris) or absent; buttresses absent or present (Citronella); indument of simple to malpighiaceous hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, sometimes appearing distichous, entire to toothed (Citronella) or palmately lobed (Cardiopteris), penninerved or palmatinerved (Cardiopteris), exstipulate. Inflorescences axillary, occasionally ramiflorous (cauliflorous in Pseudobotrys), flowers arranged in spikes, fascicles, cincinnate panicles or thyrses. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, plants then andromonoecious or dioecious, actinomorphic, usually 5-merous; calyx persistent, articulated at the base, small, generally cupular, sepals 4–5, bases connate, lobes free; petals 4–5, minute to conspicuous, fused at least at the base (free in Citronella), often inflexed at apex, lobes imbricate (Cardiopteris) to valvate, midrib usually thickened ventrally; stamens isomerous, epipetalous (except Citronella), filaments filiform or broad and flattened, glabrous, anthers bisporangiate, basifixed to medifixed, introrse, longitudinally dehiscent; staminodes in pistillate flowers present, resembling stamens or much smaller but pollen sacs sterile; disk absent or present (staminate Cardiopteris, some Gonocaryum); ovary superior, pseudomonomerous, carpels evidently 3, unilocular (or with a partial pseudoseptum), ovules 2, apical, pendent, anatropous (orthotropous in Cardiopteris), unitegmic (ategmic in Cardiopteris); styles 0–2, deciduous to persistent, stigma capitate and often minute, less commonly large and sessile (Gonocaryum); ovary rudiment in staminate flowers small, stigma absent or much reduced. Fruit a drupe, or a samara with accrescent terminal appendage (Cardiopteris). Seed 1, testa vascularised. Embryo small, endosperm generally abundant.