Trees; often large and emergent; unmistakable in the conspicious scars surrounding twig at each node, these left from the large caducous Moraceae-like terminal stipule;
Distribution
all over the world;
Floral characters
flowers solitary, at branch apices (terminal), the pedicel with series of circular scars from fallen bracteoles; large and white; tepals numerous, white to pink (sometimes the three lowermost sepal-like); stamens numerous; spirally disposed on the basal part of the receptacle; several to many separate carpels; spirally disposed over the greater part of the receptacle; ovules mostly 2, parietal;
Leaf characters
leaves alternate, simple; with large caducous stipules leaving conspicious scars around the twig; leaves typically rather large and long petiolate, mostly wwith conspicious intricately prominulous network of fine venation; usually (Talauma) with the upper side of petiole very conspicously rooved;
Stipules
present; caducous; large;
Fruit characters
fruit woody with a more or less conelike core surrounded by the more or less fused follicles, these dehiscing circumscissilely so that the thick woody outer part of fruit peels off irregularly to expose the red-arrilate seeds. Seeds dangling on long threated-like funicles;
Glands
absent
Hairs
present or absent
Latex
absent
Odor
primitive odor (Gentry!) in bark and leaves
Uses
Magnolia spp: Ornamental plants and timber
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
