Dorstenieae
Description
Trees, shrubs (of various growth habit) or in Dorstenia herbs, mostly monoecious, less commonly androdioecious or dioecious, usually with uncinate hairs.
Leaves distichously or spirally arranged;
stipules large to small, fully amplexicaul to lateral.
Inflorescences bisexual (or secondarily unisexual), discoid to turbinate or to cup-shaped, circular or shaped otherwise, never distinctly involucrate, interfloral bracts mostly present and peltate.
Fruit a dehiscent drupe(let) or forming a drupaceous whole with other flowers and/or the receptacle;
seed large and without endosperm (in Dorstenia small and with endosperm), testa sometimes with a thickened vascularised part;
Distribution
Africa present, Asia present, Asia-Tropical: Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka present), South America present, W India present, neotropics present
This tribe comprises eight genera with in total 87 species. It has a distinct West Gondwanan distribution. Three genera of woody plants with in total 18 species are confined to the Neotropics and concentrated in the South American continent. Four genera of woody plants with in total 5 species are endemic to the African region. The eighth genus, Dorstenia, is largely herbaceous and is represented in both major flora regions. Only one of the 105 species, Dorstenia indica Wight, is Asian (Sri Lanka and W India).
Morphology
The tribe is characterised by bisexual inflorescences with one or more pistillate flowers in the centre and the staminate flowers mostly peripheral. Peltate bracts and uncinate hairs are common.
Citation
Engl. 1888 – In: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3. p 79
C.C. Berg 1998 – In: Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch. p 359
C.C. Berg 1972 – In: Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. p 161
Corner 1962 – In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 19. p 250
Bureau 1873 – In: A.DC., Prodr. 17. p 254
Benth. & Hook.f. 1880 – In: Gen. Pl. p 346
Corner 1962 – In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 19. p 250