~ Phytolaccaceae
Habit and leaf form. Small trees, or shrubs (the branchlets sometimes spiny); leptocaul. Leaves alternate; spiral; non-sheathing; simple. Lamina entire; pinnately veined; cross-venulate. Leaves exstipulate. Lamina margins entire.
Stem anatomy. Internal phloem absent. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring. `Included' phloem absent. Xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple. Sieve-tube plastids P-type; type III (a).
Reproductive type, pollination. Dioecious. Female flowers without staminodes. Gynoecium of male flowers absent.
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in `inflorescences'; in cymes, or in racemes, or in fascicles, or in panicles. The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences small, branched cymes, racemes, panicles or fascicles. Flowers bracteate; small. Free hypanthium absent.
Perianth sepaline; 4, or 5; 1 whorled; green. Calyx 4, or 5; 1 whorled; polysepalous; regular; persistent; imbricate.
Androecium in male flowers, 10-20. Androecial members free of the perianth; coherent (basally connate); 1 - adelphous. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 10-20. Anthers basifixed (elongate-oblong); non-versatile; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; extrorse. Pollen grains aperturate; 3 - aperturate, or 6 - aperturate; foraminate, or rugate, or colpate (Phaulothamnus).
Gynoecium 2. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious (the styles simple, divergent, uncinate); superior. Ovary 1 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 2. Stigmas 2. Placentation basal. Ovules in the single cavity 1; funicled; ascending; non-arillate; campylotropous.
Fruit fleshy; indehiscent; a berry. Dispersal unit the fruit. Fruit 1 seeded. Seeds (strictly) non-endospermic. Perisperm present (copious, mealy). Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons 2. Embryo curved.
Physiology, biochemistry. Ellagic acid absent.
Geography, cytology. Sub-tropical to tropical. Warm America.
Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgren's Superorder Caryophylliflorae; Caryophyllales. Cronquist's Subclass Caryophyllidae; Caryophyllales. Takhtajan's Subclass Caryophyllidae; Caryophyllanae; Caryophyllales. Species 10. Genera 2; Achatocarpus, Phaulothamnus.
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