Stachyuraceae J.G. Agardh
Habit and leaf form. Small trees, or shrubs, or lianas; non-laticiferous and without coloured juice. Self supporting, or climbing. Leaves evergreen, or deciduous; alternate; herbaceous, or leathery; petiolate; non-sheathing; simple. Lamina entire; pinnately veined; cross-venulate. Leaves stipulate. Stipules free of one another; caducous (small, linear-lanceolate). Lamina margins serrate (or serrulate).
Leaf anatomy. Stomata present; mainly confined to one surface (abaxial); anomocytic.
The mesophyll without sclerenchymatous idioblasts; containing calcium oxalate crystals. The mesophyll crystals druses. Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells.
Stem anatomy. Cork cambium present; initially superficial. Nodes tri-lacunar. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring. Xylem with tracheids; with vessels. Vessel end-walls scalariform. Wood parenchyma apotracheal.
Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite, or polygamomonoecious.
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in inflorescences; pendulous, in racemes, or in spikes. The terminal inflorescence unit racemose. Inflorescences terminal, or axillary; pendulous racemes or spikes. Flowers bi- bracteolate (the bracteoles connate); small; regular; 4 merous (throughout); cyclic; polycyclic. Free hypanthium absent.
Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 8; 3 whorled; isomerous. Calyx 4; 2 whorled (2+2); polysepalous; regular; much imbricate. Corolla 4; 1 whorled; polypetalous (the petals connivent); imbricate; regular. Petals sessile.
Androecium 8. Androecial members free of the perianth; free of one another; 2 whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 8; diplostemonous; filantherous (the filaments subulate). Anthers appearing versatile; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Pollen grains aperturate; 3(4) aperturate; (tri-) colporate (occasionally 4-ruporate); 2-celled, or 3-celled.
Gynoecium 4 carpelled. Carpels isomerous with the perianth. The pistil 1 celled, or 4 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary 1 locular, or 4 locular (4-locular at the base, but above and for most of it length the partitions, though deeply intruded, are not united in the middle). Gynoecium shortly stylate. Styles 1; apical. Stigmas 1; obscurely 4 lobed; capitate to subpeltate; wet type; papillate; Group I type. Placentation parietal (above); axile (below). Ovules 3050 per locule (numerous); arillate; anatropous; bitegmic; crassinucellate. Outer integument contributing to the micropyle. Embryo-sac development Polygonum-type. Polar nuclei fusing prior to fertilization. Antipodal cells formed; 3; not proliferating; ephemeral. Synergids pear-shaped. Endosperm formation nuclear.
Fruit fleshy; indehiscent; a berry (rather firm and dry, 4-locular); many seeded. Seeds endospermic. Endosperm oily (and proteinaceous). Seeds small. Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons 2 (flat). Embryo straight.
Physiology, biochemistry. Not cyanogenic. Iridoids not detected. Proanthocyanidins present, or absent; cyanidin. Flavonols present; kaempferol and quercetin. Ellagic acid present. Arbutin absent. Aluminium accumulation not found.
Geography, cytology. Holarctic. Temperate to tropical. Eastern Asia - Himalayas to Formosa and Japan.
Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgrens Superorder Theiflorae (?); Theales (?). Cronquists Subclass Dilleniidae; Violales. APG (1998) Eudicot; core Eudicot; Rosid; unassigned to Eurosid I or Eurosid II; unassigned to order. Species 10. Genera 1; only genus, Stachyurus.
Illustrations. Stachyurus.
Cite this publication as: ‘L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 14th December 2000. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/’. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000), and Watson and Dallwitz (1991) should also be cited (see References).