ANCISTROCLADACEAE
Morphological description
Woody climber, (erect in youth); tendril/branches with curved hooks.
Leaves
Leaves spirally arranged, usually crowded, simple, penninerved, with scales.
Flowers
Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, 5-merous, calyx enlarged and wing-like in fruit ovary superior, stamens usually 10.
Fruits
Calyx enlarged and wing-like in fruit.
Different from: Hugonia and Indorouchera (Linaceae): hooks simple, calyx not enlarged in fruit.
Distribution: The only genus of the family, Ancistrocladus, has a disjunct distribution: W Africa and SE Asia + West Malesia, mostly in lowland rain forest.
Notes: The family has been placed near Dipterocarpaceae, but differs in its climbing habit, lack of resin and of stipules. APG IV places the family close to the Dioncophyllaceae.
Literature: C. G.G.J. van Steenis, Fl. Males. I, 4 (1948) 8-10.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Ancistrocladus: Climbers with hooks or tendrils, scales on the leaves, laminar glands, accrescent calyx, winged fruits.
Illustrations: Fig. 15. Ancistrocladus tectorius (Lour.) Merr. (Ancistrocladaceae). Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 4 (1948) 9, fig. 1.
No image in PhytoImages for Ancistrocladaceae
Images on: http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77126601-1