English: mangrove.
Genera: 16 genera; 149 species.
Content: tropane pyrollidin alkaloids.
DD: Oxygen,
Natrium,
Magnesium, Muriaticum,
Iodum.
Use: wood for underwater construction, piling, fuel, building, smoking food; tannins for leather making.
TaxonomyThis family is now placed in the order
Malpighiales, though under the Cronquist system, they formed an order in themselves (Rhizophorales).
Erythroxylaceae: Coca family; 4 genera; ± 240 species.Ctenolophonaceae: 1 genus, Ctenolophon; 4 species; West Africa and Malaysia.
BotanySmall mangrove trees; hermaphrodites, more rarely polygamomonoecious.
Habitat: tropical or subtropical; mangrove and estuarea near the sea.
Leaves: opposite, decussate, simple, leatherly, often with black dots below; stipules interpetiolar, caducous, sometimes with overlapping margin.
Inflorescence: axillary, cymose or fascicle or solitary.
Fowers: usually bisexual, actinomorphic, often with 2 bracteoles, cupshaped disc; with a nectary disc; viviparous.
Sepals: 5 (3)4-8(-16) valvate, often clawed.
Petals: 5 (3)4-8(-16), fleshy fringed, often adnate to ovary.
Stamens: 8 to many (un)equal, opposite petals, anthers 4- many locular.
Ovary: superior or inferior, 2-6 carpels/locules, anatropous ovules
Fruit: berry/drupe/capsule, with persistent calyx, sometimes viviparous, seed with straight embryo.
Pollination: by insects.
LiteratureMatthews, Merran; Comparative floral structure and systematics in
Rhizophoraceae,
Erythroxylaceae and the potentially related
Ctenolophonaceae,
Linaceae,
Irvingiaceae and
Caryocaraceae (
Malpighiales); Botanical Journal of the Linnean
Society, 2011, 166, 331–416; 2011.