(Last Modified On 4/5/2013)
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(Last Modified On 4/5/2013)
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Family
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MARCGRAVIACEAE
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Contributor
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A. C. DEROON
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Description
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Lianas, vines, or shrubs, often epiphytic, with sprawling, climbing or pendu- lous branches. Leaves simple, alternate, estipulate, glabrous, mostly with hypo- phyllous nectariferous glands, the margins entire or minutely crenate; variously shaped sclereids frequent. Inflorescences terminal racemes, pseudo-umbels, or sometimes pseudo-spikes, erect or pendulous; bracts transformed into variously shaped nectaries. Flowers bisexual, regular, 2-bracteolate, the bracteoles sepaloid, persistent; sepals 4-5, unequal, free or nearly so, imbricate, thick and rigidly cori- aceous, persistent; petals 3-5, imbricate, free or connate; stamens 3-many, the filaments free or connate basally, often adnate to the bases of the petals, the anthers 2-loculed, longitudinally dehiscent; ovary superior, competely or incom- pletely 2-20-loculed, the ovules mostly numerous. Fruit capsular, loculicidally and septifragously dehiscent from the base (or indehiscent?), the pericarp more or less woody or coriaceous, mesocarp pulpy; seeds few to numerous, with a shiny woody reticulate testa; endosperm scanty or lacking; embryo straight.
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Habit
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Lianas, vines, or shrubs
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Distribution
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A neotropical family of four genera and about 125 species; all genera and 16 species reported from Panama.
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Note
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Pollination by birds and bats as well as self-fertilization have been reported in this family.
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Key
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a. Leaves spirally arranged; all the flowers fertile and-provided with nectaries; petals reflexed at anthesis. b. Stamens 7-many; nectaries inserted below the middle of the pedicels.... 1. Norantea bb. Stamens 3-5; nectaries inserted at the middle of the pedicels or higher, mostly at the bases of the flowers. c. Nectaries foliaceous, slightly gibbose; ovary 2-loculed ............ 2. Ruyschia cc. Nectaries hollow, cup- or spur-shaped; ovary 3-5-loculed ........ 3. Souroubea aa. Leaves distichous; the apical flowers abortive, only the nectaries developed, fertile flowers without nectaries; petals united into a deciduous cap ............. 4. Marcgravia
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