Evergreen trees and shrubs, few herbs; mesophytic plants
Distribution
Pantropically, but concentrated in South America and especially in Brazil.
Floral characters
Ca (3-)5(-10) Co (4-)5(-10) A 5-100 G2-15; bisexual, regular flowers, aggregated in terminal or axillary inflorescences: in cymes, panicles, fascicles, racemes and umbels
Leaf characters
Evergreen, herbaceous or leathery, petiolate and (mostly) simple or compound, alternate, mostly racemose or paniculate; rarely (i.e. when compound) pinnate (Godoya) Lamina pinnately veined (usually with numerous parallel laterals), cross-venulate Stipules present Leaves without a persistent basal meristem
Stipules
present
Fruit characters
Fruit a capsule or capsular-indehiscent or a berry or a drupe, fleshy or non-fleshy dehiscent or indehiscent or a schizocarp Seeds endospermic or non-endospermic Endosperm oily or not oily Seeds winged (often) or wingless Ø Cotyledons 2 Ø Embryo straight (usually), or curved
Glands
present
Hairs
absent
Latex
absent
Odor
?
Uses
Lophira alata and L. lanceolota provide lumber (African Oak, Eisenbaum)
Chemical characters
Proanthocyanidins and cyanidin are present
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
