Combretaceae

Terminalia melanocarpa, branch with leaves, flowers and fruits

The wings seed plants or long thread plants ( Combretaceae ) are a family in the order of Myrtenartigen ( Myrtales ) within the angiosperms ( Magnoliopsida ). The 400 to 500 species thrive mainly in the tropics and subtropics.

• 3.1 Notes and references

Description and ecology

Appearance and leaves

For species of Combretaceae family are woody plants: trees, shrubs and lianas. They grow independently erect or mostly climbing. The climbing species grow twining, Combretum species squirm example, counterclockwise, or keep hooks from durable lower portions of petioles at their dossiers. There are mesophytic to xerophytic (often in savannas ) or helophytische species. Some types are mangroves. Many types throw their leaves in the dry season from or fewer species are evergreen.

The simple leaves are opposite, as with most other Myrtenartigen, but there are here taxa with change-constant and schraubig or two to four lines, rarely whorled arranged leaves. Often the leaves form at the branch ends flat rosettes, which many species are a characteristic appearance. There are usually petioles present, remain in some species long and then are like a mandrel. The leaf blades are easy. The leaf margin is more or less serrated or smooth sometimes. There are very different trichomes present: simple hairs, glandular hairs, multicellular hairs, the calcium oxalate precipitate and form scale or under the cuticle are present and leave the leaf surface therefore have warty or punctured. There is pinnate and Netznervatur. It can be present or absent tiny stipules.

Domatien occur in about eleven genera and many species, they are usually as tufts of hair, sometimes formed depressions or pockets.

Inflorescences and flowers

The inflorescences are quite different in shape. There are cover sheets available.

The flowers are usually hermaphroditic, but there are also unisexual on the same inflorescence. The most radial symmetry, rarely more than slightly zygomorphic, usually four - or fivefold flowers often lack the corolla. The most four or five sepals are fused together into a more or less long tube. You are inconspicuous or record apparatus is formed by the stamens. The stamens can be reduced to two. Trained as a tubular or oval cup flower base surrounds the ovary. Two or five carpels are fused to an under standing, unilocular ovary. The ovary usually contains two, rarely up to six hanging, anatrope ovules, of which only one develops. It is a discussion with nectaries present, he is usually hairy. The style ends in a capitate or inconspicuous scar.

Fruit and seeds

The one-seeded, fleshy or dry fruits usually remain closed at maturity, are in their shape and size very variable and often by two to five longitudinal wings ( hence the name) or edges on the spread by wind or korkartiges tissue in the interior or on the distribution adjusted by water. The seeds contain two folded, rolled or twisted cotyledons ( cotyledons ), but no endosperm.

Chromosome numbers

The basic chromosome numbers be x = 7, 11 to 13

Systematics and distribution

The Combretaceae family was erected in 1810 by Robert Brown in Prodromus Novae Florae Hollandiae, p 351. Type genus Combretum is Loef.

The following taxa former families are incorporated here: Bucidaceae Spreng, Myrobalanaceae Martynov, Strephonemataceae Venkat. . Prak & Rao nom. inval. , Terminaliaceae J. St. Hil.

Most species are found in tropical and subtropical regions, notably in savannas and monsoon forests. Also, mangroves occur in the family.

The Combretaceae family is divided into two subfamilies, as well as two tribes and contains about 16 to 20 genera with 400 to 500 (up to 600 ) types:

• Subfamily Combretoideae Beilschmied: Tribus Combreteae Engler: It contains two subtribe and about nine to twelve genera: Subtribe Combretinae: it contains four to five genera: Calycopteris Lam. ( Syn: Getonia Roxb. ): It contains only one type: Calycopteris floribunda ( Roxb. ) Lam, Syn. Getonia floribunda Roxb. It is native only in evergreen rain forests of the Western Ghats.

• Guiera senegalensis JFGmel. Thrives from Senegal to the Central African Republic.

• Anogeissus ( DC.) Wall. ex Guill. & Perr. The about ten species are widespread in tropical Africa and Asia, for example: Leiocarpa Anogeissus ( DC.) Guill. & Perr.

• Button mangrove ( Conocarpus erectus L.): There is a salt-tolerant tree of the coastal region of West Africa and the Neotropics.
• Conocarpus lancifolius Engl: home is the north-eastern Africa and southern Yemen.

• Dansiea Byrnes: The only two species occur in Australia.
• Laguncularia CFGaertn. Contains only one type: White Mangrove ( Laguncularia racemosa (L.) CFGaertn. ): It has an Atlantic distribution with properties in West Africa and the New World.

• Lumnitzera littorea (Jack) Voigt
• Lumnitzera racemosa Willd.

• Strephonema Hook. f: The approximately three species are widespread in tropical West Africa.

Swell

• The Combretaceae in APWebsite family. (Section Description and systematics)
• The Combretaceae family at DELTA by L. Watson & MJ Dallwitz. ( Description section )
• Jie Chen & Nicholas J. Turland: Combretaceae, pp. 309 - text Registered as printed work, In: Wu Zheng -yi, Peter H. Raven & Deyuan Hong (eds.): Flora of China, Volume 13 - Clusiaceae through Araliaceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 2007. ISBN 978-1-930723-59-7 ( section description)