Family Calectasiaceae

Calectasiaceae S.L. Endlicher

~ Dasypogonaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs (or rather, shrublets). Rhizomatous. Xerophytic. Leaves with disarticulating blades; small; alternate; spiral; imbricate; sessile; sheathing. Leaf sheaths not tubular; with free margins. Leaves simple. Lamina entire; linear, or lanceolate; parallel-veined.

Leaf anatomy. Stomata present; anomocytic.

The mesophyll not containing mucilage cells; containing calcium oxalate crystals, or without calcium oxalate crystals (? — no raphides). Vessels absent.

Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening absent. Xylem without vessels.

Root anatomy. Root xylem with vessels (with simple perforation plates).

Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite.

Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers solitary; terminal (on short branchlets); medium-sized; regular; 3 merous; cyclic; pentacyclic. Perigone tube present (short).

Perianth of ‘tepals’ (lilac-blue to purple); 6; joined; 2 whorled; isomerous; petaloid; similar in the two whorls; blue, or purple (glossy, metallic).

Androecium 6. Androecial members adnate (at the throat); all equal to markedly unequal (the whorls somewhat unequal); free of one another. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 6; diplostemonous. Anthers basifixed; terminally dehiscing via pores to dehiscing via short slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Pollen grains aperturate; 1 aperturate; sulcate.

Gynoecium 3 carpelled. Carpels isomerous with the perianth. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary 1 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1 (long, slender); attenuate from the ovary; apical; much longer than the ovary. Stylar canal present (?). Stigmas 1. Placentation basal. Ovules in the single cavity 3; funicled; ascending; non-arillate; anatropous.

Fruit non-fleshy; indehiscent; a nut; 1 seeded. Testa without phytomelan; membranous.

Geography, cytology. Australian. Western and South Australia and Victoria. X = 9.

Taxonomy. Subclass Monocotyledonae. Dahlgren et al. Superorder Liliiflorae; Asparagales. APG 3 core angiosperms; Superorder Lilianae; commelinid Monocot (?); Order Dasypogonales (or “unplaced” at ordinal level).

Species 2. Genera 1; only genus, Calectasia.

Illustrations.
• Calectasia grandiflora (photo).