SAURURACEAE
Morphological description
Strongly smelling herbs, usually forming stolons.
Leaves
Leaves simple, entire, cordate, spiral, stipulate
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic.
Fruit
Fruit.
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Piperaceae: flowers tiny without perianth.
Distribution: The family confined to Asia and North America. In Malesia only Houttuynia and Saururus, each with one species, growing in wet places, both rather rare.
Notes: Both species are used in Chinese medicine.
Literature: C.G.G. J. van Steenis, Fl. Males. I, 4 (1949) 47-48.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Houttuynia 72.
Illustrations: Fig. 158 Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Suaruraceae). Habit; flower enlarged. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 4 (1949) 48, fig.1.
Image in PhytoImages for Saururaceae