Description:

• Herbaceous climbers or shrubby or acaulescent herbs, monoecious, with or without tendrils
• Leaves alternate or rosulate, simple, sometimes palmately lobed, crenate or serrate; with or without stipules
• Flowers unisexual, regular, solitary or few, or shortly racemose, axillary; male flowers without rudiments of gynoecium, female flowers without rudimentary stamens or staminodes
• Calyx 3-5-parted; sepals usually linear
• Corolla sympetalous, 3- or 4-lobed; tube campanulate; petals as long as tube or shorter
• Stamens 3-5; filaments arising at base or in throat of corolla tube; anthers 2-thecous, connective often broadly expanded; glands at base of corolla tube
• Ovary superior, 1-locular, of 3-5 fused carpels, with 3-15 ovules on 3-5 parietal placentas; style 1, 3-5-lobed, with lobes sometimes 2-fid
• Fruit a septicidal capsule, enclosed in persistent corolla
• Seeds subglobose, pitted or tubercled, often arillate; embryo straight, cotyledons flat; endosperm present

Nomenclature:

• Achariaceae
  • Killick: 128 (1976)
  • Dahlgren & Van Wyk: 11 (1988)
• Passifloreae
• Harvey: 501 (1862)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Genera 3, species 3; widespread but rarely common

References:

• DAHLGREN, R. & VAN WYK, A.E. 1988. Structures and relationships of families endemic to or centered in southern Africa. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 25
• HARVEY, 1862. Passifloreae. Flora capensis 2
• KILLICK, D.J.B. 1976. Achariaceae. Flora of southern Africa 22

Resources:

• Key to Achariaceae genera

• Achariaceae genera: