MONIMIACEAE
Morphological description
Plant woody, usually non-climbing. Sometimes climber with stellate hairs (Palmerian).
Leaves
Leaves simple, (sub)opposite, penninerved, with fine pellucid dots. Usually coarsely dentate, secondary veins strongly arching.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flower tepaloid (no distinction between sepals and petals), carpels 1-locular, with one ovule. Usually actinomorphic, unisexual; hypanthium cup-shaped with free stamens or carpels.
Fruit
Fruit apocarpous, enclosed by irregularly dehiscent hypanthium.
Different from: Lauraceae: leaves entire, rarely opposite, anthers always opening by valves; never apocarpous. — Annonaceae: leaves entire, never opposite, medullary rays dilating.
Distribution: The family widespread in the southern hemisphere. In Malesia (best represented in the eastern part) 11 genera, incl.: - Kibara (Indo-Australia), shrubs, small trees, lowland and montane forest; - Matthaea (Malesia), shrubs, mostly lowland forest; - Palmeria (Australia, East Malesia), climbers, mostly montane forest; - Steganthera (Queensland, East Malesia), trees or shrubs, lowland and montane forest.
Notes: Sphenostemon and Trimenia have been excluded from the Monimiaceae and are placed in their own families, Sphenostemonaceae and Trimeniaceae, respectively.
Literature: W.R. Philipson, Fl. Males. I, 10 (1986) 255-326.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Monimiaceae 59 - Kibara 9, 46, 47, 96 - Leviera 6, 85 - Palmeria 5, 6, 25, 64 - Steganthera 9, 70.
Illustrations: Fig. 108. Kibara ferox Philipson: a. leaf from middle branch; b. axillary fascicles of female flowers after anthesis; c. female flower; d. idem in LS. Fig. 109. Palmeria womersleyi Philipson: a. habit of male twig; b. LS of female flower; c. opened receptacle.
Image in PhytoImages for Monimiaceae