Family Henriqueziaceae

Henriqueziaceae (Hook. f.) Bremek.

~ Rubiaceae

Habit and leaf form. Small or medium trees. Leaves alternate, or whorled; simple. Lamina entire. Leaves stipulate. Stipules without colleters. Lamina margins entire.

General anatomy. Plants with ‘crystal sand’.

Leaf anatomy. Lamina dorsiventral.

Stem anatomy. Internal phloem absent. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring. ‘Included’ phloem absent. Primary medullary rays narrow. Wood parenchyma mainly paratracheal (aliform to confluent).

Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite.

Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in panicles (thyrses). The ultimate inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences terminal; terminal thyrses. Flowers large; very irregular; zygomorphic; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium absent.

Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 9–10; 2 whorled; isomerous, or anisomerous. Calyx 4–5; 1 whorled; polysepalous (?); not persistent. Corolla 5; 1 whorled; gamopetalous; imbricate; campanulate; bilabiate.

Androecium 5. Androecial members adnate (epipetalous); markedly unequal (the filaments curved); free of one another; 1 whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 5; isomerous with the perianth; oppositisepalous; alternating with the corolla members; filantherous (the filaments bent at the base). Anthers dorsifixed (the base sagittate); dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse. Pollen grains aperturate; 5–6 aperturate; colpate.

Gynoecium 2 carpelled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. The pistil 2 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious; inferior. Ovary 2 locular. Epigynous disk present (annular). Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; apical. Stigmas 2. Placentation axile. Ovules 2–4 per locule; collateral.

Fruit non-fleshy; dehiscent; a capsule. Capsules loculicidal (semi-superior or almost superior, transversely ovoid, subreniform or discoid). Fruit 2–4 seeded. Seeds non-endospermic; wingless (but flattened).

Geography, cytology. Neotropical. Tropical. Brazil.

Taxonomy. Subclass Dicotyledonae; Tenuinucelli. Dahlgren’s Superorder Lamiiflorae; Scrophulariales. Cronquist’s Subclass Asteridae; Rubiales. APG 3 core angiosperms; core eudicot; Superorder Asteranae; lamiid; Order Gentianales (as a synonym of Rubiaceae).

Species 13. Genera 2; Henriquezia, Platycarpum.

This description is inadequate.