Nyctaginaceae
(Four O'Clock Family)
Habit
- mostly herbs
Leaves
-
opposite,
alternate,
simple,
estipulate
Inflorescence
-
cymose
Flowers
- mostly
perfect, often surrounded by colored
bracts that resemble a
calyx
Sepals
-
(perianth) 5,
petaloid,
connate often
tubular
Petals
-
absent
Stamens
- usually 5 (1-many),
alternate with
perianth
lobe and often
adnate to them
(episepalous)
Ovary
-
superior, of 1
carpel with 1
locule and 1
ovule
Fruit
- an achene, often surrounded by hardened base of
calyx tube (entire structure called an
anthocarp)
Diversity
- 30 genera / 300 species
Distribution
- mostly tropical New World
Economics
- Some cultivated ornamentals--Mirabilis, Bougainvillea
Notes
-
Images
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