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Family RHAMNACEAE

Description: Shrubs and trees, sometimes intertwined and climbing in juvenile stages, [or rarely herbs].

Leaves simple, usually alternate, entire or toothed; stipules mostly falling early.

Inflorescence mostly cymose or racemose, or flowers in axillary clusters or solitary. Flowers actinomorphic, mostly bisexual, usually small, perigynous or epigynous. Hypanthium usually present, often shortly tubular and resembling a calyx tube. Sepals 5, triangular, inserted on the summit of the hypanthium. Petals usually 5 or absent, commonly ± hooded and surrounding the anthers. Stamens 5, opposite the petals, opening by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium commonly of 3 united carpels, ovary generally 3-locular, style often lobed; ovules solitary in each loculus.

Fruit basically drupaceous, sometimes a nut or a septicidal capsule with mericarps.


Distribution and occurrence: World: 58 genera, 900 species, cosmopolitan, chiefly tropical & subtropical regions. Australia: 18 genera, c. 160 species, all States.

External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Rhamnaceae, Order: Rosales)
Wikipedia

Some species of Ceonothus, Colletea, Discaria, Pomaderris and Rhamnus are cultivated as ornamentals.

Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept:

 Key to the genera 
1Trees2
Shrubs or subshrubs, sometimes intertwined and tending to climb5
2Leaves white- or rusty-hairy below; fruit blackishAlphitonia
Leaves green and glabrous on both surfaces; fruit yellowish, orange or brown
                       Back to 1
3
3Leaves more or less ovate, opposite or alternate; fruit drupaceous, not winged4
Leaves more or less lanceolate, alternate; fruit a winged nut
                       Back to 2
Ventilago
4Petiole less than 15 mm long; leaves mostly opposite or nearly so; fruit orange to yellowish, peduncles not swollenEmmenosperma
Petiole more than 15 mm long; leaves alternate; fruit brown, peduncles swollen
                       Back to 3
Hovenia
5Leaves opposite, shed early; plants spinyDiscaria
Leaves alternate, not shed early; plants rarely spiny
                       Back to 1
6
6Leaves glabrous and at least 5 mm wide7
Leaves with at least some hairs on the lower surface or leaves less than 3 mm wide
                       Back to 5
8
7Leaves lanceolate, trees often tending to climb in juvenile stagesVentilago
Leaves elliptic to ovate, shrubs
                       Back to 6
Rhamnus
8Hypanthium more or less fused to only the base of ovary, tubular and produced above the ovary and discCryptandra
Hypanthium fused to ovary and disc, only sepals free above ovary
                       Back to 6
9
9Flowers sessile in heads surrounded by persistent brown bracts; petals enclosing stamensSpyridium
Flowers stalked, mostly in panicles or corymbs, rarely sessile in head-like clusters, floral bracts falling early, rarely remaining till flowers open; petals absent or if present not enclosing stamens
                       Back to 8
Pomaderris

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