e-Key v3 - Casearia
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Flacourtiaceae - Casearia Jacq.

Description :

  • Trees or shrubs
  • Leaves alternate, petiolate, entire, serrate or with subspinose teeth; stipules small
  • Inflorescence an umbel or flowers fascicled or rarely solitary
  • Flowers bisexual
  • Calyx tube short or subelongated or 0; sepals 4-6, suborbicular, concave, imbricate
  • Petals 0
  • Stamens 6-15, rarely 20-40, free or connate, hypogynous or arising from calyx tube or at base of calyx; filaments linear, connective of anthers sometimes penicillate at apex; staminodes alternating with stamens, sometimes oblong and hairy at apex
  • Ovary superior, 1-locular with few to many ovules on 3 or 4 parietal placentas; style short; stigma capitate or peltate or stigmas 3
  • Fruit a subfleshy or dry capsule, opening by 3 or 4 valves, few- to many-seeded
  • Seeds sometimes angled, with a fleshy aril; testa chartaceous; embryo straight; cotyledons flat, elliptic or suborbicular; endosperm present
  • x = 7 (11) (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Casearia Jacq.
    • Jacquin: 4, 21 (1760)
    • Wild: 293 (1960)
    • Killick: 91 (1976)
    • Sleumer: 280 (1980)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 160, cosmopolitan in tropics
  • Southern Africa : Species 1: Casearia gladiiformis Mast., KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape near East London; in forest, chiefly along the coast

References:

  • JACQUIN, N.J. VON. 1760. Enumeratio systematica plantarum . Theodor Haak, Leiden
  • KILLICK, D.J.B. 1976. Flacourtiaceae . Flora of southern Africa 22
  • SLEUMER, H.O. 1980. Casearia . Flora Neotropica 22
  • WILD, H. 1960. Flacourtiaceae (including Samydaceae ). Flora zambesiaca 1