Celastraceae

Hippocratea L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1191 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropical & Subtropical America, W. Tropical Africa to Angola.

Descriptions

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Lianas, shrubs or trees, unarmed
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite or rarely subopposite
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers bisexual, in cymes or panicles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Sepals 5, imbricate in bud. Petals 5, imbricate or valvate in bud
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 3; anthers extrorse with transverse dehiscence
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disc extrastaminal
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Ovary sessile or raised on androgynophore, free or immersed in disk, 3-celled with 2–14 ovules in each cell; style simple or absent; stigma small
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit capsular, expanding laterally into 3 lobes, each of which separates as a mericarp
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2–14 in each mericarp, winged.
Distribution
The genus has a pantropical distribution.
Note
In the narrow sense used by Hallé & Mathew in Fl. Trop. E. Afr. (1994), Hippocratea does not occur in Somalia and the two species included here belong to Loeseneriella (H. crenata) and Pristimera (H. andongensis).
[FSOM]

Celastraceae, N. K. Robson. Flora Zambesiaca 2:2. 1966

Morphology General Habit
Lianes or ± scandent shrubs or small trees, without latex (except in sect. Hippocratea).
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite or subopposite, petiolate; stipules free or ± united interpetiolarly, usually deciduous, with opposite pairs sometimes connected by ridges.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence pedunculate, cymose, dichasial or submonochasial, simple or compound, with or without accessory branches, axillary; bracts persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals (4) 5, imbricate, free or ± united.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals (4)5(6), green to white or yellow, often with paler margin, imbricate or valvate in bud.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk extrastaminal, single or double, varying in shape, free or variously united with other floral parts.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens (2)3(4), with filaments often ± broadened below, free or united at the base or sometimes united with the ovary or gynophore; anthers versatile, apical or extrorse, with the thecae ± confluent, dehiscing transversely; pollen simple or rarely in polyads (sect. Hippocratea), not in tetrads.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary superior, 3-locular, with 2–20 axile ovules in 2 rows per loculus, sessile or on a gynophore, sometimes immersed in the disk; style simple or absent; stigmas 3, free or ± united, sometimes sessile or very small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit of 3 capsular mericarps united at the base or rarely (not in African species) for most of their length; mericarps dorsiventrally flattened or rarely biconvex, dehiscing by the median suture.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds with long stalks, rarely sessile; stalks usually expanded into a wing with the raphe forming a submedian or rarely marginal vein and the thickened integuments forming a vein along the other margin. Germination epigeal or hypogeal.
Cytology
Chromosome number: 2n=56 (3 species).
[FZ]

Common Names

English
Root Rubber

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0