Pantropical, mainly in Australasia (nearly all hibbertia species endemic to Australia) South America, Madagascar, only one genus endemic to Africa: Tetracera; climate: sub-tropical to tropical and temperate-warm
Floral characters
Solitary or in inflorescences (racemes or cymes); flower of Dillenia indica can reach a diameter of 20cm; flowers are in bloom for only one day; yellow or white; regular; usually bisexual; usually without nectar; Ca (3-)5(-20) Co(2-)5 A endless G (1-)several(-20)
Leaf characters
Usually alternate or spiral but some species with opposit arrangement; simple and petiolate; herbaceous or leathery; rarely lobed or scale-like; no stipules or wing-like stipules; crystal sand ( Ca-oxalat and silicat) are found in some species
Stipules
present
Fruit characters
Dry-dehiscent or indehiscent capsules, they sometimes appear berry-like; fleshy calyx if indehiscent (Dillenia)
Glands
present
Hairs
absent
Latex
absent
Uses
Ornamental plants, especially Dillenia; leaves of some species used as sandpapaer; Dillenia wood used as lumber in house- and shipbuilding; some species have edible fruits
Chemical characters
Pentacyclic triterpens and tannins present, proanthcyanidins present: cyanidin and delphinidin, flavonols present: querecetin, kaempferol, myricetin
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Dilleniaceae
map: from van Steenis & van Balgooy 1966; van Balgooy 1975; Heywood 1978; Horn 2009, which see for more detail
