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Belongs within: Violineae. The Passifloraceae, passionflowers and related taxa, are mostly tendrillar climbers found in temperate and tropical regions of the world. The largest genus is Passiflora of which many species are grown for their edible fruit. Examples include the black passionfruit P. edulis and banana passionfruit P. mollissima. Tetrapathaea tetrandra, the New Zealand passionflower,… Continue reading Passifloraceae

Belongs within: Violineae.Contains: Populus, Salix. The Salicaceae as used in recent references combines the restricted Salicaceae of older authorities (Salix, willows, and Populus, poplars) with the paraphyletic ‘Flacourtiaceae’. Though the wind-pollinated, northern temperate Salicaceae sensu stricto are distinct from other, mostly tropical, members of the family, phylogenetic analyses have nested them deep within the ‘Flacourtiaceae’,… Continue reading Salicaceae

Belongs within: Euphorbiaceae. Glochidion, cheese trees, is a primarily tropical genus, most diverse in Asia and Australasia, of shrubs and small trees producing multilobed, capsular fruits (Harden 1990). The vernacular name refers to the resemblance of these fruits to small cheese wheels. Characters (from Harden 1990): Shrubs or small trees, monoecious. Leaves alternate, simple, entire,… Continue reading Glochidion

Belongs within: Malpighiales.Contains: Glochidion, Macaranga, Sauropus, Bertya, Sapium, Mallotus, Croton, Plukenetieae, Acalypha, Euphorbia. The Euphorbiaceae are a diverse group of flowering plants, including trees, shrubs and herbs. Stipules are typically present though they may be modified into spines or glands, and may be deciduous. Many members of the family are succulent and some can bear a… Continue reading Euphorbiaceae

Belongs within: Euphorbiaceae. Macaranga is a genus of trees found in the Old World tropics that often dominate disturbed habitats in lowland rainforests. Many species form symbiotic associations with ants living inside hollow internodes (Fiala et al. 1999). Characters (from Flora of China): Trees or shrubs, mostly dioecious (exceptionally monoecious); indumentum usually of simple hairs… Continue reading Macaranga

Belongs within: Malpighiales. The Phyllanthaceae are a pantropical family of flowering plants, treated in the past as a subgroup of the Euphorbiaceae but now separated due to their distinct phylogenetic position within the Malpighiales (Davis et al. 2007). They often have finely-cracking bark, two-ranked and entire leaves lacking glands, and explosively dehiscent fruits (Angiosperm Phylogeny… Continue reading Phyllanthaceae

Belongs within: Malpighiales. The Ochnaceae are a pantropical group of relatively small trees bearing flowers with deciduous petals (Kanis 1978). Ochna and related genera bear indehiscent drupelets whereas other taxa produce many-seeded capsules. Characters (from Kanis 1978): Small to medium-sized trees. Leaves alternate, stipulate, simple. Inflorescences lateral and/or terminal, thyrsoid or paniculate, with many bracts… Continue reading Ochnaceae

Belongs within: Malpighiales. The Chrysobalanales (or Chrysobalanaceae sensu lato) have historically been recognised as a pantropical group of trees, shrubs and lianas with simple, entire leaves and obliquely monosymmetric flowers. The Chrysobalanaceae have strongly lenticillate twigs and two-ranked, often short-petiolate leaves. <==Chrysobalanales | i. s.: HungaH03 |–+–TrigoniaceaeXR12 | | |–HumbertodendronT00 | | |–TrigoniastrumXR12 | |… Continue reading Chrysobalanales