~ Philesiaceae
Including Behniaceae, Geitonoplesiaceae
Habit and leaf form. Slender shrubs, or lianas. Rhizomatous. Self supporting, or climbing. Mesophytic, or xerophytic. Leaves alternate; distichous; `herbaceous', or leathery (?); petiolate to sessile; non-sheathing; simple. Lamina inverted; entire; linear, or lanceolate, or ovate; parallel-veined; cross-venulate (slightly), or without cross-venules. Lamina margins entire.
Leaf anatomy. The mesophyll containing mucilage cells; containing calcium oxalate crystals. The mesophyll crystals raphides. Vessels present (?), or absent.
Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening absent. Xylem with vessels, or without vessels. Vessel end-walls scalariform.
Root anatomy. Root xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple, or scalariform and simple.
Reproductive type, pollination. Hermaphrodite.
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers solitary, or aggregated in `inflorescences'. The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences terminal, or axillary. Flowers small; regular; 3 merous; cyclic; pentacyclic. Perigone tube absent (or almost), or present (campanulate, in Behnia).
Perianth of `tepals'; 6; free (or almost), or joined; 2 whorled; isomerous; petaloid; similar in the two whorls, or different in the two whorls; white, or violet.
Androecium 6. Androecial members free of the perianth; all equal; free of one another; 2 - whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 6; diplostemonous; al\ter\ni\peri\anthial. Anthers dorsifixed, or basifixed; dehiscing via longitudinal slits, or dehiscing via pores; extrorse, or introrse; tetrasporangiate. Endothecium developing fibrous thickenings. The thickenings spiral. Microsporogenesis successive. Pollen grains aperturate; 1 - aperturate; sulcate (or trichotomosulcate in Geitonoplesium); 2-celled.
Gynoecium 3. Carpels isomerous with the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary 3 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary; apical. Stigmas 1; capitate to trilobate; dry type. Placentation axile. Ovules 3-9 per locule (`few'); arillate, or non-arillate; anatropous, or campylotropous; bitegmic; crassinucellate. Outer integument not contributing to the micropyle. Embryo-sac development Polygonum-type.
Fruit fleshy; dehiscent, or indehiscent; a capsule (rather fleshy), or a berry. Seeds endospermic. Endosperm oily. Cotyledons 1. Embryo straight. Testa encrusted with phytomelan, or without phytomelan.
Physiology, biochemistry. Not cyanogenic. Proanthocyanidins absent. Flavonols absent. Ellagic acid absent. Saponins/sapogenins absent (Luzuriaga).
Geography, cytology. Paleotropical, Cape, Australian, and Antarctic. Southern South America, southern Africa, Australia and adjacent regions to Java, New Guinea, New Zealand and New Caledonia, Falklands. X = 10.
Taxonomy. Subclass Monocotyledonae. Superorder Liliiflorae; Asparagales. Species 8. Genera 5; Behnia, Drymophila (Conran 1987), Eustrephus, Geitonoplesium, Luzuriaga.