Coriariaceae

Abstract

>Erect or scandent rhizomatous shrubs, subshrubs, or rarely perennial herbs, evergreen or summergreen; the roots harbouring actinorhizal symbionts; stems with corky lenticels, sharply quadrangular, long and short, eventually arching to pendulous, sometimes with clusters of axillary inflorescence buds produced on main axes. Leaves opposite, more rarely in trimerous whorls, simple, entire, subsessile; venation palmate, veins 3(5); stipules minute, deciduous. Inflorescences many-flowered racemes, terminating main or lateral axes, often hidden under densely leafy stems. Flowers hermaphrodite or functionally unisexual, markedly protogynous, regular, small, 5-merous, diplostemonous; sepals distinct, quincuncially arranged; petals distinct, with open or valvate aestivation, keeled ventrally, smaller than sepals at anthesis but later accrescent and becoming fleshy, protruding between the carpels; stamens distinct or the antepetalous ones adnate to petals; anthers large, basifixed or slightly dorsifixed, tetrasporangiate, dithecal, dehiscing longitudinally, introrse; ovary superior, 5- or more rarely 10-carpellate and -locular, superior, synascidiate for two thirds of its length, proximally plicate; each carpel with a long slender stylodium that is papillose and stigmatic over its entire surface; ovule 1 per locule, pendulous, anatropous, bitegmic, crassinucellar, the micropyle directed upwards; placentation median, apical. Fruit of distinct, small, purple to black hard-walled nuts, enclosed by the persistent, fleshy petals. Seeds slightly compressed, endosperm scant or 0; embryo straight, oily.