RHAMNACEAE
Morphological description
Woody. Sometimes climbers with axillary tendrils (Gouania) or hooks (Smythea, Ventilago); scramblers with prickles (Zizyphus).
Leaves
Leaves simple, spiral. Leaves usually distichous, serrate dentate, palminerved, scalariform tertiary venation, stipules small.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flowers actinomorphic, stamens isomerous, opposite the free petals, intrastaminal disk; ovules basal.
Fruit
Fruit a drupe. Sometimes fruit a samara (Smythea, Ventilago) or fruit 3-winged (Gouania).
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Celastraceae: leaves usually opposite, stamens alternating with petals. — Euphorbiaceae: flowers unisexual, stamens not opposite the petals, ovules apical.
Distribution: World-wide; in Malesia 11 genera, incl.: - Colubrina (pantropical), shrubs or trees, lowland secondary and primary forest; - Zizyphus (world-wide), thorny trees or climbers: primary and secondary forest, savannahs.
Notes: Edible fruit: Zizyphus mauritiana*. — Roadside tree: Maesopsis.
Literature: C.A. Backer & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Fl. Java 2 (1965) 80 -85; A. Latiff, Tree Fl. Mal. 4 (1989) 197-301. — Dr. C. Schirarend (Hamburg) is revising the family for Flora Malesiana.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Rhamnaceae 58, 83 - Alphitonia 26, 68 - Berchemia 26, 68 - Colubrina 68, 101; C. anomala 64 - Emmenosperma 68, 101 - Gouania 4, 68, 92, 98 - Maesopsis 68 - Rhamnella 68 - Rhamnus 68, 90 - Sageretia 68 - Smythea 4, 68, 98 - Ventilago 4, 68, 98 - Zizyphus 4, 64, 68.
Illustrations: Fig. 136. Colubrina asiatica (L.) Brongn., showing habit, flower and CS of fruit. 227 Fig. 137. Rhamnus nepalensis (Wall.) Laws.
Image in PhytoImages for Rhamnaceae