Inflorescences solitary in leaf axils or in racemose or paniculate dichasia, sometimes dichasial basally and monochasial above. Flowers often solitary axillary or terminal, usually bracteate.
Flower size ranges from small and inconspicious to large and showy; mostly actinomorphic, sometimes slightly zygomorphic;
calyx (5); corolla (5) united, stamen (5); carpels 2-4 (-6);
Floral formula
* K5 C(5) A5 G(2-4-6)
Leaf characters
Leaves alternate; usually simple or lobed; stipules mostly absent; often extrafloral nectaries; often hyposophylls
Stipules
mostly absent
Fruit characters
Fruits mostly dry capsules, but also fleshy or nut-like;
Seeds 1-4, embryo large
Hairs
different glandular or eglandular hairs; simple, 2-armed or stellate
alkaloids, some species with LSA (lysergic acid amide)
Description
Twinning herbs, lianas, subshrubs, shrubs, some species with milky sap. Vascular bundles mostly (except Cuscutoideae) with internal phloem (bicollateral). Flowers are typically 5-fold; corolla ist often fused and shows a characteristic funnel.
Flowers often bracteate; parasitism is present in Cuscuta.
The family is divided into 6 gropus:
- Humbertioideae (only the tree Humbertia madagascariensis from Madagascar)
- Cardiochlamyeae: usually lians with t-shaped hairs from Madagascar, Southeast Asia, West Malesia
- Eryciboideae: lianas with berrys as fruits occuring in Southeast Asia, Indo-Malesia to Australia
- Cuscutoideae: parasitic plants, herbaceous with reduced leaves; more or less worldwide
- Convolvuloideae: inflorescence a dichasial cyme
- Dichondroideae: inflorescence a monochasial cyme
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Convolvulaceae
map: from Meusel et al. 1978; Staples & Brummit 2007
Convolvulaceae - Humbertioideae
map: from http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/
Convolvulaceae - Eryciboideae
map: from Hoogland 1953a; Flora China 16, 20; Australia's Virtual Herbarium xii.2012
