The World Flora Online

Herbes , arbustes, arbres ou lianes.'Feuilles'généralement sans stipules, alternes, rarement opposées, simples.'Racèmes , épis ou panicules; 1 bractée et 2 bractéoles à la base des pédicelles.'Fleurs'☿, zygomorphes ; sépales 5, libres ou les 2 antérieurs soudés, imbriqués, les 2 latéraux souvent grands et pétaloïdes; pétales 5, dont les 2 latéraux souvent avortés ou très réduits, hypogynes, généralement soudés à la gouttière staminale; pétale antérieur (carène) généralement à limbe concave ou caréné; étamines 8, plus rarement 6, 5 ou 4, à filets ± longuement soudés en gouttière ou rarement libres; anthères basifixes, 2(3)-loculaires, devenant 1-loculaire, s'ouvrant au sommet par une fente; ovaire 2-loculaire, plus rarement 1-5-loculaire, à 1 rarement plusieurs ovules pendants par loge; style simple.'Fruits'capsulaires, loculicides, plus rarement samaroïdes ou bacciformes.'Graines généralement albuminées.\n\t\t\tDouze genres et environ 800 espèces des régions chaudes et tempérées du monde entier, à l'exception de la Nouvelle-Zélande et des îles du Pacifique; 4 genres, 49 espèces et 5 variétés au Congo belge.

Torus small or rarely expanded into an annular disk within the stamens Ovary free, 2-celled or rarely 1-celled or 3–5-celled; style simple; ovules solitary in each cell, rarely more, pendulous Fruit a capsule, samara or drupe Petals 3–5, hypogynous, declinate, outer 2 free or united with the lowermost, upper 2 free or minute and scale-like or 0 Stamens 8, rarely 5 or 4, monadelphous beyond the middle or rarely free, the sheath split above, often adnate to the petals; anthers erect, 1–2-celled, opening by an apical pore, rarely 2-valved or opening nearly to the base Flowers hermaphrodite, zygomorphic; pedicels often articulated Sepals 5, free, imbricate, the two inner larger, often petaloid, wing-like Herbs, shrubs, climbers or rarely small trees Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple; stipules none Seeds often pilose, with a conspicuous strophiole; endosperm mostly present; embryo straight Ovary free, 2-celled or rarely 1-celled or 3–5-celled; style simple; ovules solitary in each cell, rarely more, pendulous Fruit a capsule, samara or drupe Petals 3–5, hypogynous, declinate, outer 2 free or united with the lowermost, upper 2 free or minute and scale-like or 0 Stamens 8, rarely 5 or 4, monadelphous beyond the middle or rarely free, the sheath split above, often adnate to the petals; anthers erect, 1–2-celled, opening by an apical pore, rarely 2-valved or opening nearly to the base Flowers hermaphrodite, zygomorphic; pedicels often articulated Sepals 5, free, imbricate, the two inner larger, often petaloid, wing-like Herbs, shrubs, climbers or rarely small trees Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple; stipules none Seeds often pilose, with a conspicuous strophiole; endosperm mostly present; embryo straight

Fairly abundantly represented in our area

Fruit a capsule, samara or drupe Seeds often sericeous, usually carunculate; endosperm usually present Ovary superior, usually 2-locular (1–5), with 1 pendulous ovule in each loculus Stamens usually 5–8 (rarely 4); filaments usually united in a slit tube Petals 3–5; two upper ones free or joined to the lower one (keel); two lateral ones free, often absent or vestigial Small trees, woody climbers, shrublets or perennial or annual herbs Sepals 5; two lateral (interior) ones often petaloid (wings); two anterior ones sometimes joined Leaves usually alternate, simple, entire, exstipulate Seeds often sericeous, usually carunculate; endosperm usually present Ovary superior, usually 2-locular (1–5), with 1 pendulous ovule in each loculus Stamens usually 5–8 (rarely 4); filaments usually united in a slit tube Petals 3–5; two upper ones free or joined to the lower one (keel); two lateral ones free, often absent or vestigial Small trees, woody climbers, shrublets or perennial or annual herbs Sepals 5; two lateral (interior) ones often petaloid (wings); two anterior ones sometimes joined Leaves usually alternate, simple, entire, exstipulate

Fls perfect, mostly hypogynous, ± strongly irregular; sep typically 5, the 2 inner often much the larger; pet 3(–5), typically adnate to the filaments to form a common tube; stamens 3–10, commonly 8 in 2 sets of 4; anthers basifixed, usually opening by apical or subapical pores or short slits; intrastaminal nectary-disk sometimes present, or modified into an adaxial gland; ovary superior, 2–5(–8)-locular with a terminal, usually curved, often unequally bilobed style; ovules solitary in each locule, apical-axile, pendulous, epitropous; fr most often a loculicidal capsule; seeds often hairy, and often with an evident micropylar aril; embryo straight, with 2 cotyledons; herbs or woody plants with simple, entire, alternate to seldom opposite or whorled lvs and terminal or axillary spikes, racemes, or panicles of fls. (Galypola, Pilostaxis) 12/750, cosmop.

Perennial or annual herbs or shrubs or trees, rarely small herbs (the latter sometimes saprophytic). Leaves simple, alternate, opposite, or whorled, petiolate or sessile, papery or leathery, with pinnate veins, margin entire, leaves rarely reduced and scalelike; stipules absent, sometimes spiniform or scalelike appendages present. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, white, yellow, or purple-red, pedicellate or sessile, in axillary or terminal racemes, panicles, or spikes, with bracts and usually also with bracteoles. Calyx persistent or caducous; sepals 5, free or connate at base, outer 3 small, inner 2 (alae) large, petal-like, or all 5 nearly equal. Petals 3 or 5, basally often connate, lower (median) one ("keel") usually inflexed, carinate, sometimes with fimbriate or lamellate or papilionaceous apical appendages. Stamens 8, 7, 5, or 4; filaments free, or variously united and forming a sheath open on upper side and troughlike; anthers basifixed, usually dehiscing by a single apical pore. Disk usually absent, if present annular or glandular. Ovary superior, 1- or 2-loculed; ovule 1 per locule, anatropous, pendulous, rarely ovules numerous and placentas parietal; style 1, erect or curved; stigmas 1 or 2, capitate. Fruit a 2-loculed capsule, dehiscing by valves, or a 1-loculed samara or a berrylike drupe, dehiscing or not. Seeds 2, or 1 with 1 sterile locule, yellow-brown, dark castaneous, or black, ovoid, globose, or ellipsoidal, glabrous or piliferous, strophiolate or not, with or without endosperm, sometimes with an appendage at end opposite to strophiole.