GNETACEAE
Morphological description
Woody, twigs with swollen nodes. Usually climbers. Trees (Gnetum gnemon, G. costatum).
Leaves
Leaves simple, decussate, entire, exstipulate, penninerved. Usually leaves with translucent lines, dried leaves nigrescent.
Inflorescence
Dioecious, inflorescence a spike.
Flowers
Flowers are in either male or female strobuli without petals and only consisting of either a stamen and bract or an ovule with two integuments and a bract.
Fruit
Fruit.
Seed
Seed drupe-like enclosed in a red, orange or yellow false seed coat.
Different from: Celastraceae (Salacia): no swollen nodes, inflorescence never a spike. — Guttiferae (Garcinia): milky or yellow sap, inflorescence never a spike.
Distribution: The only genus Gnetum is pantropical; most Malesian species in lowland rain forest.
Notes: Leaves and seeds of Gnetum gnemon edible, bark of several species used for binding.
Literature: F. Markgraf, Fl. Males. I, 4 (1951) 336-347; I, 6 (1972) 944-949.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): 5, 6, 16, 57, 59, 70.
Illustrations: Fig. 73. Gnetum gnemonoides Brongn.
Image in PhytoImages for Gnetaceae