The World Flora Online

Herbes annuelles, glabres. Feuilles alternes, simples, exstipulées; limbe entier, à nervation pennée. Inflorescences terminales, denses, spiciformes. Fleurs sous-tendues par une bractée et deux bractéoles, hermaphrodites, actinomorphes, 5-mères; calice à tube adné à l'ovaire, à lobes imbriqués; corolle campanulée-urcéolée, épigyne, à lobes imbriqués; étamines alternant avec les lobes de la corolle,épipétales; anthères introrses, à déhiscence longitudinale; ovaire semi-infère, 2-loculaire, chaque loge à 1 placenta large, axillaire, stipité et à ovules nombreux; style 1. Fruits capsulaires, membraneux, circumscissiles, à opercule induré. Graines nombreuses, minuscules; testa irrégulièrement plissé-côtelé; albumen réduit ou nul.

Herbes'annuelles, glabres, hélophiles; tiges dressées ou décombantes, ± spongieuses, les parties submergées à tissu aérenchymateux.'Feuilles'alternes, simples, entières, non stipulées; nervation pennée, proéminente à la face inférieure. Inflorescences terminales, denses, en épis.'Fleurs'sous-tendues par une bractée et deux bractéoles, actinomorphes, ☿ ; calice adné à l'ovaire, à 5 lobes imbriqués, légèrement connés, persistants; corolle campanulée-urcéolée, épigyne, caduque, à 5 lobes imbriqués; étamines 5, épipétales, alternant avec les lobes de la corolle; filets très courts; anthères arrondies, à 2 thèques déhiscentes longitudinalement; ovaire semi-infère, 2-loculaire; ovules nombreux, anatropes sur de grands placentas stipités et axiles; style court, glabre; stigmate capité, légèrement bilobé.'Fruits': pyxides obovoïdes-obconiques, 2-loculaires, membraneuses.'Graines nombreuses, minuscules; testa irrégulièrement plissé-côtelé; albumen peu abondant ou nul.\n\t\t\tFamille monogénérique à distribution quasi pantropicale.\n\t\t\tLa position systématique de cette famille a été diverses fois controversée. Les études embryologiques et palynologiques établissent une affinité très grande avec les Campanulaceae [voir e.a. Subramanyan, Proc. Indian Acad. Sei., B 31: 60-65 (1950)], famille dans laquelle le genre Sphenoclea a parfois été inclus. Les Sphenocleaceae se séparent toutefois des Campanulaceae par un certain nombre de caractères, tels le périanthe imbriqué, le style glabre, le type de fruit (pyxide) ainsi que l'absence apparente d'un système laticifère.

Inflorescences terminal, densely spicate, acropetal Leaves spirally arranged, simple, entire, exstipulate Stems erect or decumbent, with aerenchymous tissue at the base Annual herbs Flowers subtended by a bract and two bracteoles, bisexual, regular Corolla campanulate-urceolate, perigynous, lobes 5, imbricate Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, lobes 5 Ovary semi-inferior, 2-locular; style short, stigma capitate Stamens 5, epipetalous, alternating with corolla-lobes; filaments short; anthers rounded, 2-locular, dehiscing longitudinally Fruit a capsule, circumscissile, seeds numerous, minute Leaves spirally arranged, simple, entire, exstipulate Stems erect or decumbent, with aerenchymous tissue at the base Annual herbs Flowers subtended by a bract and two bracteoles, bisexual, regular Corolla campanulate-urceolate, perigynous, lobes 5, imbricate Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, lobes 5 Ovary semi-inferior, 2-locular; style short, stigma capitate Stamens 5, epipetalous, alternating with corolla-lobes; filaments short; anthers rounded, 2-locular, dehiscing longitudinally Fruit a capsule, circumscissile, seeds numerous, minute

Seeds numerous, minute; testa irregularly plicate–costate; endosperm scanty or absent Fruit a circurnscissile capsule, obovate–obconic, 2–locular, membranous Ovary semi–inferior, 2–locular, with numerous anatropous ovules on large stipitate axile placentas; style short, glabrous, with a capitate slightly 2–lobed stigma Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla–tube, alternating with the petals; filaments very short; anthers rounded, 2–celled, dehiscing longitudinally Corolla campanulate–urceolate, epigynous, caducous; lobes 5, imbricate Calyx–tube adnate to the ovary; lobes 5, quincuncial, shortly connate, persistent Flowers bisexual, regular, subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoies Inflorescences terminal, dense, spicate Leaves alternate, simple, entire, exstipulate Annual glabrous helophytic herbs Fruit a circurnscissile capsule, obovate–obconic, 2–locular, membranous Ovary semi–inferior, 2–locular, with numerous anatropous ovules on large stipitate axile placentas; style short, glabrous, with a capitate slightly 2–lobed stigma Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla–tube, alternating with the petals; filaments very short; anthers rounded, 2–celled, dehiscing longitudinally Corolla campanulate–urceolate, epigynous, caducous; lobes 5, imbricate Calyx–tube adnate to the ovary; lobes 5, quincuncial, shortly connate, persistent Flowers bisexual, regular, subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoies Inflorescences terminal, dense, spicate Leaves alternate, simple, entire, exstipulate Annual glabrous helophytic herbs

Stamens 5, alternipetalous, inserted on the corolla-tube; filaments very short; anthers rounded, 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally Corolla campanulate-urceolate, perigynous, caducous; lobes 5, imbricate Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary; segments 5, shortly connate, imbricate, connivent, persistent Flowers small, bisexual, regular, subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoles Inflorescences terminal, densely spicate, acropetal Leaves spirally arranged, simple, entire, exstipulate Stem erect or decumbent, somewhat succulent and spongy Annual glabrous hygrophytic herbs Seeds very numerous, minute, oblong; testa irregularly plicate-costate; albumen scanty or none; embryo axile, straight, subterete Fruit a circumscissile capsule (pyxidium), cuneate-obconic, 2-locular, membranous Ovary semi-inferior, 2-locular; style short; stigma capitate, slightly 2-lobed; ovules very numerous, anatropous, attached to large spongy stipitate axile placentas Corolla campanulate-urceolate, perigynous, caducous; lobes 5, imbricate Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary; segments 5, shortly connate, imbricate, connivent, persistent Flowers small, bisexual, regular, subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoles Inflorescences terminal, densely spicate, acropetal Leaves spirally arranged, simple, entire, exstipulate Stem erect or decumbent, somewhat succulent and spongy Annual glabrous hygrophytic herbs Seeds very numerous, minute, oblong; testa irregularly plicate-costate; albumen scanty or none; embryo axile, straight, subterete Fruit a circumscissile capsule (pyxidium), cuneate-obconic, 2-locular, membranous Ovary semi-inferior, 2-locular; style short; stigma capitate, slightly 2-lobed; ovules very numerous, anatropous, attached to large spongy stipitate axile placentas

Herbs annual, without latex. Leaves alternate, simple. Inflorescence a dense terminal or leaf-opposed spike, bracteate and bracteolate. Flowers sessile, bisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx epigynous, 5-lobed. Corolla epigynous, tubular, 5-lobed to middle. Stamens 5, inserted at proximal part of corolla tube, alternate with corolla lobes; filament extremely short; anther 2-celled. Ovary inferior, 2-loculed; ovules numerous, anatropous; placentation axile; stigma obscurely 2-lobed, lobes subcapitate. Fruit a capsule, oblate, circumscissile. Seeds numerous, oblong.