Family Lophopyxidaceae

Lophopyxidaceae (Engl.) H.H. Pfeiff.

~ Celastraceae

Habit and leaf form. Small trees, or lianas. Self supporting, or climbing; the lianes tendril climbers (some of the inflorescences modified into coiled, watchspring tendrils). Leaves alternate; not gland-dotted; without marked odour; simple. Lamina entire. Leaves stipulate. Lamina margins crenate, or serrate.

Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring (?).

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers functionally male and functionally female. Plants monoecious. Female flowers with staminodes (five, oppositipetalous, concrescent into a five-lobed disk). Floral nectaries present. Nectar secretion from the androecium.

Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in panicles and in glomerules. Inflorescences axillary; consisting of loose panicles of glomerules. Flowers small; regular; 5 merous; cyclic. Free hypanthium absent.

Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla (the corolla much smaller); 10; 2 whorled; isomerous. Calyx 5; 1 whorled; very shortly gamosepalous; persistent; valvate. Corolla 5; 1 whorled; polypetalous (the petals not contiguous).

Androecium of male flowers 10. Androecial members free of the perianth (the stamens), or adnate (the staminodes); free of one another. Androecium including staminodes. Staminodes 5 (spreading, oppositipetalous, adnate to the subtending petals). Stamens 5; isomerous with the perianth; oppositisepalous (alternating with the staminodes); filantherous (the filaments filiform). Anthers dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse. Pollen grains aperturate; 3–4 aperturate; colporate.

Gynoecium in female flowers, 4–5 carpelled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth to isomerous with the perianth. The pistil 4–5 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious; superior. Ovary 4–5 locular (ovoid-oblong, shallowly ribbed, pubescent). Gynoecium non-stylate. Stigmas 4–5 (sessile, subulate). Placentation axile to apical. Ovules 2 per locule; pendulous; arillate (‘each surmounted by an obturator-like appendage’: Airy Shaw); anatropous.

Fruit non-fleshy; indehiscent; a samara (with five broad, stramineous wings); 1 seeded (and one-locular). Seeds endospermic.

Geography, cytology. Paleotropical. Tropical. Malaysia.

Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Crassinucelli. Dahlgren’s Superorder Santaliflorae; Celastrales. Cronquist’s Subclass Rosidae; Celastrales. APG 3 core angiosperms; core eudicot; Superorder Rosanae; fabid; Order Malpighiales.

Species 2. Genera 1; only genus, Lophopyxis.