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Chloranthaceae
Chloranthaceae is a family of flowering plants (angiosperms), the only family in the order Chloranthales. It is not closely related to any other family of flowering plants, and is among the early-diverging lineages in the angiosperms. They are woody or weakly woody plants occurring in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Madagascar, Central and South America, and the West Indies. The family consists of four extant genera, totalling about 77 known species according to Christenhusz and Byng in 2016. Some species are used in traditional medicine. The type genus is ''Chloranthus''. The fossil record of the family, mostly represented by pollen such as ''Clavatipollenites,'' extends back to the dawn of the history of flowering plants in the Early Cretaceous, and have been found on all continents. Description Chloranthaceae are fragrant shrubs or herbaceous plants, that only produce side branches on the new growth. The stems are mostly cylindrical, with solid internodes, thickened nodes in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ascarina
''Ascarina'' is an ancient, woody, Flowering plant, angiosperm genus. It is a distinct genus of ''Chloranthaceae'' consisting of less than twenty species, found in the Australian region, the Pacific Islands and Madagascar. They can grow up to six metres tall and have a spread of approximately three metres. ''Ascarina'' are usually tropical cloud forest species which need high humidity to thrive, and are vulnerable to both frost and drought. There has been discussion and research on whether or not this genus and its family are primitive, or have become reduced over time. Another controversial topic for the genus is its relation to the ''Clavatipollenites'', a fossilized pollen. Morphology ''Ascarina'' plants are divided into three major species groups, based on the number of stamens per male flower, number of supporting flower bracts and geographic location. The flowers of the ''Ascarina'' species are unisexual, containing one to five stamens in male flowers, and a single carpel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |