Shrubs or trees,occasionally thorny,scattered secretory cells often present in the leaves and barks,medullary secretory canals common; sclereids common, bark very bitter by simaroubilide quassinoids
Distribution
Widespread in tropical or subtropical regions, with a few genera extending into temperate habitats. Lowland forests and savanas. The family is represented in the continetal united states by Castela, Simarouba, Leitneria and Ailanthus.
Floral characters
Radial flowers rather small, bisexual or not (monooecious or diecious).Staminodes and pistillodes often well developed in unisexual flowers. Sepals 3-5, elongate into a gynophore. Stamens 3-10, intrastaminal. Ovary superior, 2-5 locular, or same number of free carpels, styles 1-5, placentation axile, ovules 1-2 per locule or carpel.
Leaf characters
Alternate, usually pinnately compound to unifoliate, Leavlets entire to serrate with pinnate venation.
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
Drupe, a cluster of samaras, rarely a berry.
Glands
present
Hairs
present
Latex
present, resin present
Odor
male specimen (Ailanthus altissima) smell unpleasant during flowering.
Uses
Medical plants: Quassia amara, Picrasma excelsa. Medically used against fever, malaria, dysentery (an infection of the intestine marked by severe diarrhea). Insectifuge/repellant. Much cultivated red-flowered ornamental (Quassia amara).
Chemical characters
Quassinoids. Arthroquinones (Brucea); polyacetate derived, kaempferol and quercetin. Ellagic acid present (Alanthus, Quassia), or absent (Ailanthus). Sugars transported as sucrose (in Simarouba). C3-physiology recorded directly in Ailanthus. Bittersweats.
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Simarubaceae
map: from Nooteboom 1962; Heywood 1978; Thomas 1990; fossils of Ailanthus as black crosses, from Corbett & Manchester 2004 and Clayton et al. 2009, also Japan; fossils of Leitneria as blue crosses, from Clayton et al. 2009
