Hypericaceae

Abstract

Evergreen or sometimes deciduous herbs, shrubs or trees; glands or canals in most parts of the plant; xanthones widespread; hairs uni- or mul- ticellular, eglandular, colleters common; terminal bud scaly or naked; leaves opposite, occasionally whorled or alternate, entire, estipulate; inflores- cences terminal, more or less cymose, rarely axil- lary or flowers single, flowers polysymmetric, per- fect, usually with prophylls; sepals free, (2–)4–5; ously fasciculate or connate, anthers < 1(–1.2)mm petals (3)4–5, free; stamens (9–)∞,freeorvari- long, dithecate, extrose, opening by slits, connec- tive often with glands, staminodes alternipetalous or 0; nectary absent; ovary superior, 3–5-locular, anatropous, bitegmic, tenuinucellate; stylodia free placentation axile to parietal, ovules 1–∞/carpel, or basally more or less fused or style single, stig- mas more or less expanded, smooth and sticky or ± punctate and papillate; fruit baccate or capsu- lar, rarely a drupe; seeds small, winged or not, exotegmen lignified, with sinuous anticlinal walls; embryo straight or rarely curved; endosperm ini- tially nuclear, often absent at maturity; germina- tion epigeal, phanerocotylar. orldwide. A family with 9 genera and 540 species; ± worldwide.