Family Celastraceae
Synonyms: Brexiaceae APNI*
Plagiopteraceae APNI*
Description: Trees, shrubs, or climbers.
Leaves alternate or opposite, simple; stipules minute or absent.
Inflorescence axillary or terminal, cymose or racemose or flowers clustered or sometimes solitary. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual and/or unisexual and then plants polygamous, monoecious or dioecious, 3–5-merous. Sepals 3–5 imbricate or valvate. Petals 3–5. Stamens mostly 2–5, alternate with petals, inserted on or beneath disc; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Disc various, usually conspicuous. Ovary partly, completely or not at all immersed in disc, 1–10-locular with 1 to many ovules per loculus; style prominent, short or obsolete.
Fruit a loculicidal capsule or drupe; seeds often arillate, sometimes winged.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 55 genera, c. 850 species, widespread in tropical & temperate regions. Australia: 16 genera, c. 38 species, Qld, N.S.W., N.T., W.A.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Celastraceae, Order: Celastrales)
Wikipedia Hippocratea and related genera (2–14 gen., c. 300 spp.) are sometimes recognized as a separate family, the Hippocrateaceae.
Text by T. A. James
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Leaves opposite or nearly so | 2 |
| Leaves alternate | 3 |
| 2 | Climbing shrubs or vines; stamens mostly 3; fruit a capsule, several-seeded | Hippocratea |
| Erect shrubs or trees; stamens mostly 4; fruit a drupe, 1-seeded
Back to 1 | Elaeodendron |
| 3 | Fruit a hard fleshy drupe, indehiscent | Siphonodon |
| Fruit a capsule, dehiscent
Back to 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Scandent shrubs or vines; flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; branches with conspicuous lenticels | Celastrus |
| Erect shrubs or trees; flowers bisexual; branches without conspicuous lenticels
Back to 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Capsules 5-locular with 5 valves; flowers reddish purple | Hedraianthera |
| Capsules 2–4-locular with 2–4 valves; flowers whitish or greenish yellow
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Flowers solitary; leaves sessile, needle-like | Apatophyllum |
| Flowers few to many, in cymes or racemes; leaves petiolate, not needle-like
Back to 5 | Denhamia |
|
