Perennial scramblers, climbers, shrubs, or rarely shrublets; with medifixed unicellular hairs
Leaves opposite or alternate, rarely ternate, simple, entire, petiolate; petiole often with glands; stipules present or absent
Flowers bisexual, regular to slightly irregular, in axillary umbels or corymbs, or terminal racemes; pedicels 2-bracteate, jointed
Calyx 5-partite, or 5-lobed; sepals imbricate or rarely valvate, some or all 2-glandular on outer surface
Petals 5, free, sessile or clawed, often fimbriate or toothed
Disc inconspicuous
Stamens 10, sometimes some aborted; filaments often connate at base, shorter than anthers; anthers opening longitudinally or by an apical pore-like slit
Ovary superior, 3(4)-locular, with a single, pendulous ovule in each locule; placentas axile; styles as many as carpels, free or connate at base; stigma terminal or somewhat lateral
Fruit breaking up into 2 or 3(4) 1-seeded, winged mericarps (samaras), each with a dorsal or lateral wing
Seeds with a large embryo; endosperm ± 0
Nomenclature:
Malpighiaceae
Sonder: 231 (1860)
Launert:109 (1963)
De Villiers & Botha: 66 (1986)
Immelman: 63 (1986)
Distribution & Notes:
Global: Genera ± 60, species ± 850, cosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical areas with most species in the American tropics and subtropics
Southern Africa: Genera 3, species 4
References:
DE VILLIERS, P.D. & BOTHA, D.J. 1986. Sphedamnocarpus. Flora of southern Africa 18, 3
IMMELMAN, K.L. 1986. Malpighiaceae. Flora of southern Africa 18, 3
LAUNERT, E. 1963. Malpighiaceae. Flora zambesiaca 2
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Welcome to Biodiversity Advisor 2.0!
Biodiversity Advisor, developed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its Data Partners, is a system that will provide integrated biodiversity information to a wide range of users who will have access to geospatial data, plant and animal species distribution data, ecosystem-level data, literature, images and metadata.
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