Family Dirachmaceae

Dirachmaceae (Reiche) Hutch.

~ Geraniaceae

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs (with long- and short-shoots). Plants non-succulent. Leptocaul. Leaves deciduous; alternate (and clustered on the short-shoots); petiolate; non-sheathing; simple. Lamina entire; lanceolate, or oblong; pinnately veined. Leaves stipulate. Stipules intrapetiolar; free of one another; spiny (subulate); persistent. Lamina margins serrate; flat.

Leaf anatomy. Stomata present; anomocytic, or cyclocytic.

Stem anatomy. Vessels without vestured pits.

Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite.

Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers solitary; axillary (axillary); bracteolate (the four bracteoles constituting an epicalyx); regular; 8 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium present.

Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 16; seemingly 2 whorled; isomerous. Calyx 8; seemingly 1 whorled; polysepalous (the sepals subulate); regular; valvate. Epicalyx present (of four bracteoles). Corolla 8; seemingly 1 whorled; polypetalous; contorted; regular.

Androecium 8. Androecial members free of the perianth; all equal; free of one another; seemingly 1 whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 8; isomerous with the perianth; alternisepalous; opposite the corolla members. Anthers large, oblong-ellipsoidal, dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; bilocular. Pollen grains aperturate; 3 aperturate; colporate.

Gynoecium 8 carpelled. Carpels isomerous with the perianth. The pistil 8 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious; superior. Ovary 8 locular (and laterally deeply 8-lobed); sessile. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary; apical; about as long as the ovary. Stigmas 8; linear. Placentation basal to axile. Ovules 1 per locule; ascending (from the inner angle); anatropous; bitegmic (?); crassinucellate (?).

Fruit non-fleshy; more or less a schizocarp (without a persistent central column). Mericarps 8; comprising follicles (ventrally dehiscent, woolly inside). Seeds scantily endospermic to non-endospermic; compressed. Testa smooth (shiny).

Geography, cytology. Paleotropical. Tropical. Socotra.

Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgren’s Superorder Rutiflorae; Geraniales. Cronquist’s Subclass Rosidae; Geraniales. APG 3 core angiosperms; core eudicot; Superorder Rosanae; fabid; Order Rosales.

Species 1. Genera 1; only genus, Dirachma.

Trans. Roy. Soc Edinb. 31, 45, t. 8 (1888) (not yet consulted).