Litchi

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Litchi

Description

Trees, monoecious. Leaves spirally arranged or sometimes partly, nearly opposite, especially towards the inflorescence, paripinnate, 1-4- (?sometimes 5-)jugate; Inflorescences terminal and axillary, thyrsoid; Flowers actinomorphic, unisexual. Petals absent. Stamens 6-11, far exserted in male flowers, short in female and in seemingly bisexual, but functionally male flowers; Ovules 1 per cell, basal. Fruits nearly always only 1 cell developed, hardly stipitate, ellipsoid, ovoid, or globular, not winged, indehiscent(?), glabrous, spiny to scaly; Seeds glabrous, partly or completely enveloped by an entire, translucent, juicy arillode.

Distribution

Monotypic.

Notes

The names Scytalia and Euphoria are illegitimate as in both cases Litchi was included. Dimocarpus, however, is, contrary to the opinion of most authors, not considered synonymous, and hence not superfluous (see under that genus).

Citation

Leenh. 1978 – In: Blumea: 398
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 914