Including Cassuvi(ac)eae R.Br., Spodi(ad)aceae Hassk., Spondi(ad)aceae Kunth
Excluding Blepharocaryaceae, Julianaceae, Pistaciaceae, Podoaceae
Habit and leaf form. Trees, or shrubs; laticiferous (e.g. in Anacardium), or non-laticiferous and without coloured juice; resinous. Self supporting, or climbing. Leaves evergreen, or deciduous; nearly always alternate (opposite in Bouea); when alternate, spiral; `herbaceous'; aromatic (resinous), or without marked odour (?); simple, or compound; when compound, ternate, or pinnate. Lamina pinnately veined. Leaves exstipulate. Lamina margins entire. Domatia recorded (in 8 genera); represented by pits, or pockets, or hair tufts.
Leaf anatomy. Abaxial epidermis papillose, or not papillose.
Adaxial hypodermis present, or absent. Lamina with secretory cavities (but not noticeably `gland-dotted'). Secretory cavities containing resin, or containing latex. Main veins embedded. Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells (Odina (= Lannea)).
Stem anatomy. Secretory cavities present; with resin, or with latex. Cork cambium present; initially usually superficial. Nodes tri-lacunar. Primary vascular tissue centrifugal. Cortical bundles absent. Medullary bundles absent. Internal phloem absent. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring. `Included' phloem absent. Xylem without fibre tracheids; with libriform fibres; with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple (usually), or scalariform, simple, and reticulately perforated. Vessels without vestured pits. Primary medullary rays narrow (mostly), or wide, or mixed wide and narrow. Wood ring porous to semi-ring porous (rarely), or diffuse porous (usually); parenchyma predominantly paratracheal (often sparse, rarely absent).
Reproductive type, pollination. Hermaphrodite, or monoecious, or dioecious, or gynodioecious, or polygamomonoecious.
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in `inflorescences'; in panicles. The terminal inflorescence unit racemose. Flowers regular; typically 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic, or pentacyclic. Free hypanthium present (short), or absent. Hypogynous disk present; intrastaminal; annular.
Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla, or sepaline; 3-5, or 6-10; 1 whorled, or 2 whorled; isomerous. Calyx 3-5; 1 whorled; basally gamosepalous; regular; imbricate. Corolla when present, 3-5; 1 whorled; polypetalous, or gamopetalous (rarely, basally); imbricate.
Androecium 5-10(-12). Androecial members free of the perianth; all equal, or markedly unequal; free of one another, or coherent; when coherent 1 - adelphous (the filaments sometimes basally connate); 1 - whorled, or 2 - whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens, or including staminodes. Staminodes when present, 1-9. Stamens (1-)5-10(-12); oppositisepalous. Anthers dorsifixed (mostly), or basifixed (e.g. Spondias); versatile; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Endothecium developing fibrous thickenings. Microsporogenesis simultaneous. The initial microspore tetrads tetrahedral. Anther wall initially with more than one middle layer (usually), or initially with one middle layer (Rhus mysurensis); of the `basic' type, or of the `dicot' type. Tapetum glandular. Pollen monosiphonous; shed as single grains. Pollen grains aperturate; (2-)3 - aperturate; colporate; 2-celled.
Gynoecium 1-3-5; syncarpous; synovarious, or synstylovarious; superior (usually), or partly inferior. Ovary 1-5 locular. Styles usually 1. Stigmas 1-5; wet type; non-papillate; Group IV type. Placentation when unilocular parietal, or basal; when bi- or plurilocular basal. Ovules in the single cavity when unilocular, 1; 1 per locule; pendulous, or ascending; with ventral raphe (when erect, the micropyle inferior), or with dorsal raphe (when pendulous, the micropyle superior); non-arillate; anatropous; unitegmic, or bitegmic; crassinucellate. Outer integument contributing to the micropyle, or not contributing to the micropyle. Endothelium not differentiated. Embryo-sac development Polygonum-type. Polar nuclei fusing prior to fertilization. Antipodal cells formed; 3; not proliferating; ephemeral. Synergids hooked. Hypostase present, or absent. Endosperm formation nuclear.
Fruit fleshy (usually), or non-fleshy (occasionally); when dry indehiscent; a drupe. Seeds non-endospermic. Cotyledons 2. Embryo chlorophyllous (4/4), or achlorophyllous (2/2); curved.
Seedling. Cotyledons simple. Germination phanerocotylar, or cryptocotylar.
Physiology, biochemistry. Not cyanogenic. Alkaloids present, or absent (mostly). Iridoids absent. Proanthocyanidins present (usually?), or absent (Mangifera); when present, delphinidin, or cyanidin and delphinidin. Flavonols present; kaempferol and quercetin, or quercetin and myricetin, or kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin. Ellagic acid absent (3 genera, 4 species). Arbutin absent. Saponins/sapogenins present (rarely), or absent. Aluminium accumulation not found. Sugars transported as oligosaccharides + sucrose. C3. C3 recorded in Rhus. Anatomy non-C4 type (Mangifera).
Geography, cytology. Sub-tropical to tropical (mainly). Widespread in the tropics, also Mediterranean, E. Asia, America. X = 7-16.
Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgren's Superorder Rutiflorae; Sapindales. Cronquist's Subclass Rosidae; Sapindales. Takhtajan's Subclass Rosidae; Rutanae; Rutales. Species 600. Genera about 70; Actinocheita, Anacardium, Androtium, Antrocaryon, Apterokarpos, Astronium, Baronia, Bonetiella, Bouea, Buchanania, Campnosperma, Cardenasiodendron, Choerospondias, Comocladia, Cotinus, Cyrtocarpa, Dracontomelon, Drimycarpus, Ebandoua, Euleria, Euroschinus, Faguetia, Fegimanra, Gluta, Haematostaphis, Haplorhus, Harpephyllum, Heeria, Holigarna, Koordersiodendron, Lannea, Laurophyllus, Lithrea, Loxopterigium, Loxostylis, Mangifera, Mauria, Melanochyla, Metopium, Micronychia, Montagueia, Mosquitoxylum, Nothopegia, Ochoterenaea, Operculicarya, Ozoroa, Pachycormus, Parishia, Pegia, Pentaspadon, Pleiogynium, Poupartia, Protorhus, Pseudoprotorhus, Pseudosmodingium, Pseudospondias, Rhodosphaera, Rhus, Schinopsis, Schinus, Sclerocarya, Semecarpus, Smodingium, Solenocarpus, Sorindeia, Spondias, Swintonia, Tapirira, Thyrsodium, Toxicodendron, Trichoscypha.
Economic uses, etc. Including commercially important fruits - cashew-nut (Anacardium, and the fleshy peduncle, `cashew-apple'), mango (Mangifera), Jamaica plum, hog-plum, imbu (Spondias). Resins, oils and lacquers from Toxicodendron.
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