Ximenia

<<<Calyx>Ovary>Stigma>Shape

capitate1

1. 005-005-003-001

<<<Calyx>Ovary>Style>Shape

more or less columnar2

2. 005-005-002-001

<<<Calyx>Petals>Shape>Growth form

recurved3

3. 005-002-002-001

<<<Calyx>Stamens>Anthers>Shape

oblong-linear to subovate4

4. 005-003-003-001

<<<Calyx>Stamens>Filaments>Shape

filiform5

5. 005-003-002-001

<<Branches>Spines>Position

axillary6

6. 002-001-001

<<Calyx>Ovary>Locule number

(3-)4-locular7

7. 005-005-001

<<Calyx>Ovary>Stigma

stigma , small.8

8. 005-005-003

<<Calyx>Ovary>Style

style ,9

9. 005-005-002

<<Calyx>Petals>Hairs

with a brush of hairs on the inner surface10

10. 005-002-003

<<Calyx>Petals>Petal number

4 (rarely 5)11

11. 005-002-001

<<Calyx>Petals>Shape

linear-oblong, upper half12

12. 005-002-002

<<Calyx>Stamens>Anthers

anthers ;13

13. 005-003-003

<<Calyx>Stamens>Filaments

filaments ,14

14. 005-003-002

<<Calyx>Stamens>Stamen number

usually twice the number of petals15

15. 005-003-001

<<Drupes>Endocarp>Texture

crustaceous to woody16

16. 006-002-001

<<Drupes>Endosperm>Embryo

embryo very small.17

17. 006-003-001

<<Inflorescences>Arrangement>Flower number

few-flowered18

18. 004-001-001

<Branches>Spines

spines19

19. 002-001

<Branches>Thorns

ramal thorns20

20. 002-002

<Calyx>Disk

disc absent;21

21. 005-004

<Calyx>Ovary

ovary superior, in the basal part,22

22. 005-005

<Calyx>Petals

petals , free, , , caducous;23

23. 005-002

<Calyx>Stamens

stamens free, hypogynous, ,24

24. 005-003

<Calyx>Teeth or sepal number

(3-)4(-5)25

25. 005-001

<Drupes>Endocarp

endocarp26

26. 006-002

<Drupes>Endosperm

endosperm copious, oily,27

27. 006-003

<Drupes>Pericarp

rather thin pulpy pericarp28

28. 006-001

<Inflorescences>Arrangement

axillary, or at the end of a short lateral branch (which may turn into a thorn), rather pedunculate, sometimes umbel-like cymes, or flowers in fascicles, rarely solitary29

29. 004-001

Branches

Branches usually armed with and/or .30

30. 002

Calyx

Calyx small, saucer-shaped, with teeth or sepals, persistent, hardly or not accrescent in fruit;31

31. 005

Description

Root-parasitic shrubs or low trees. Branches usually armed with axillary spines and/or ramal thorns. Leaves spiral, sometimes fascicled on brachyblasts. Inflorescences axillary, or at the end of a short lateral branch (which may turn into a thorn), rather few-flowered pedunculate, sometimes umbel-like cymes, or flowers in fascicles, rarely solitary. Calyx small, saucer-shaped, with (3-)4(-5) teeth or sepals, persistent, hardly or not accrescent in fruit; petals 4 (rarely 5), free, linear-oblong, upper half recurved, with a brush of hairs on the inner surface, caducous; stamens free, hypogynous, usually twice the number of petals, filaments filiform, anthers oblong-linear to subovate; disc absent; ovary superior, (3-)4-locular in the basal part, style more or less columnar, stigma capitate, small. Drupe with a rather thin pulpy pericarp, and a crustaceous to woody endocarp; endosperm copious, oily, embryo very small.

Distribution

Guianas present, tropics and subtropics present

8 species in the tropics and subtropics, of rather close affinity. 1 var. of X. americana in the Guianas.

Drupes

Drupe with a , and a ;32

32. 006

Inflorescences

Inflorescences .33

33. 004

Leaves

Leaves spiral, sometimes fascicled on brachyblasts.34

34. 003

Roots

Root-parasitic shrubs or low trees.35

35. 001

Wood

Vessels diffuse, almost exclusively solitary (90-99%), rarely in radial multiples of 2, round to oval, 31-58 per sq. mm, diameter 54-84 μm. Vessel- member length: 150-340 μm. Perforations simple. Intervascular pits alternate, round to polygonal, 4-7 μm. Vessel-ray and vessel-parenchyma pits of two types: half-bordered diffuse to alternate (similar in shape and size to intervascular pits) and large and simple. In cross fields with procumbent parenchyma-cells half-bordered pits and in cross fields with square or upright parenchyma-cells large and simple pits. Thin- walled tyloses infrequently present.
Rays of Kribs' heterogeneous type II to III, 1-3 seriate, 8-16 per mm, up to 235 μm high. Perforated ray cells infrequently present.
Parenchyma scanty to fairly common, predominantly apotracheal, dif- fuse or in small aggregates, partly scanty paratracheal, in strands of 3-4 cells.
Ground tissue composed of thinto medium thick-walled fibretracheids, lumen 13-16 μm. Pits bordered, in both radial and tangential walls, diameter of borders 5-6 μm. Length: 600-1193 μm.
Crystals solitary rhomboidal, absent or abundant, in chambered or non-chambered ray cells.

Wood observation species

X. americana

Primary tabs

Content