Muntingiaceae

Shrubs or trees, to 12 m. Leaves alternate (distichous), petiolate, stipitate; stipules subulate or filiform [absent or peltate discs]; blade palmately veined, seldom lobed, base often asymmetric, margins serrate, surfaces hairy, hairs usually mixed: unicellular and multicellular, simple with some setiform and some glandular, branched, and stellate, often ± tangled, forming tomentum. Inflorescences: flowers solitary or in clusters of 2–3+, usually supra-axillary; involucel absent [bracteoles ca. 15, filiform]. Flowers: sepals caducous [persistent], (4–)5(–7), valvate, basally distinct or weakly connate; petals caducous, (4–)5(–7), distinct; nectaries absent; stamens 10–75+, filaments distinct or bases connate; ovary superior [inferior], 5–7-carpellate; style 1 [0]; stigmas 5–7, ± decurrent. Fruits baccate, ± spheric. Seeds [25–]100–200+.

Distribution

Fla., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, introduced also in Old World.

Discussion

Genera 3, species 3 (1 in the flora).

Plants included in Muntingiaceae (in the sense of C. Bayer et al. 1998) have been treated in Eleocarpaceae, Flacourtiaceae, or Tiliaceae. Dicraspidia Standley (Central America and Colombia) and Neotessmannia Burret (Peru) are relatively poorly known.

Selected References

Bayer, C., M. W. Chase, and M. F. Fay. 1998. Muntingiaceae, a new family of dicotyledons with malvalean affinities. Taxon 47: 37–42.

Lower Taxa

Muntingia

Illustrations

	Family ⠉	Taxon	Illustrator ⠉
	Passifloraceae Apodanthaceae Muntingiaceae	Passiflora incarnata Pilostyles thurberi Muntingia calabura	Linny Heagy John Myers Linny Heagy