Shrubs, sometimes small to medium-sized trees or woody climbers, with bark becoming waxy with age, layers peeling in horizontal bands, rarely undershrubs
Leaves
petiolate, variable; simple or trisect to pinnately and/or palmately compound
Flowers
in dense, compound, bracteate umbels
Calyx
with 5 triangular teeth
Petals
± elliptic, inflexed, keeled on inner face
Disc
conical
Stamens
often longer than petals, inflexed
Styles
very short
Fruit
elliptic or somewhat pear-shaped, winged; mericarps of 2 forms, the one 2-winged, the other 3-winged, mostly flattened, with prominent ribs; oil ducts 6 to several, with 2 on face and up to 16 around each seed; carpophore bipartite
Seeds
subterete
Nomenclature:
Heteromorpha
Cham. & Schltdl.
Chamisso & Schlechtendal: 385, t. 5 (1826), name conserved
Sonder: 542 (1862)
Burtt: 213 (1991)
Winter & Van Wyk: 225 (1996)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species 7, sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen
Southern Africa
: Species 5, widespread
References:
BURTT, B.L. 1991.
Umbelliferae
of southern Africa: an introduction and annotated checklist.
Edinburgh Journal of Botany
48
CHAMISSO, A. DE. & SCHLECHTENDAL, D. DE. 1826.
Annesorhiza
,
Lichtensteinia
.
Linnaea
1
SONDER, W. 1862.
Umbelliferae
.
Flora capensis
2
WINTER, P.J.D. & VAN WYK, B-E. 1996. A revision of the genus
Heteromorpha
(
Apiaceae
).
Kew Bulletin
51
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