Family WINTERACEAE
Description: Trees or shrubs.
Leaves alternate, simple, entire, with fine oil dots; stipules absent.
Inflorescence apparently a terminal umbel or pseudowhorl, but flowers in fact solitary in the axils of the closely-spaced bud scales. Flowers mostly actinomorphic, bisexual or unisexual and then plants dioecious. Sepals usually 2–4, valvate, [often distinct] or fused into a calyptra. Petals 0–5 or many, free. Stamens numerous, hypogynous, free, either with distinct filament and anther or ribbon-shaped. Carpels 1–several, free or lightly fused; folded longitudinally and often unsealed with the stigma along the margins to fully sealed and with a terminal style and stigma; ovules 1–several, usually marginal.
Fruit usually a berry [or follicle, or follicles fused into a multilocular capsule or syncarp].
Distribution and occurrence: World: 9 genera, c. 100 species, chiefly in SW Pacific, Central & South America, & Madagascar. Australia: 2 genera, 10 species, Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Winteraceae, Order: Canellales)
Wikipedia
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Bubbia,
Tasmannia
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