ANNONACEAE
Morphological description
Woody, sometimes a climber with hooks (Artabotrys); odoriferous, bark fibrous, medullary rays stellate on cross section (widening outwards), continued in bark, bark usually blackish, twigs with longitudinal ridges; exstipulate.
Leaves
Leaves distichous, simple, entire.
Inflorescence
Cauli- or ramiflorous.
Flowers
Flowers 3-merous, large, stamens numerous; ovary superior.
Fruits
Fruit with many free carpels (apocarpous), sometimes carpels moniliform (Desmos, Dasymaschalon, Orophea p.p., Xylopia); carpels dehiscent (Anaxagorea, Xylopia); sometimes a syncarp (Annona*)
Seeds
Seeds with ruminate endosperm.
Different from: Ebenaceae: not odoriferous, no stellate medullary rays, bark not fibrous, carpels fused. — Magnoliaceae: stipules, no stellate medullary rays, weak bark. — Monimiaceae: leaves opposite, dentate, weak bark. — Myristicaceae: flowers tiny, single carpel, no stellate medullary rays, red sap, weak bark.
Distribution: The family pantropical, well represented in the understory of tropical lowland rain forest. In Malesia c. 50 genera, incl.: - Artabotrys (paleotropics), lianas; - Goniothalamus (Indo-Malesia), treelets and shrubs; - Polyalthia (paleotropics), trees, shrubs; - Uvaria (paleotropics), scramblers, lianas; - Xylopia (pantropical), trees.
Notes: Pollination mostly by beetles, fruits eaten by various animals including birds and bats. — Edible fruits: Annona*, Rollinia*, Stelechocarpus, some Rauwenhoffia and Uvaria. — Fragrant oil: Cananga. — Ornamentals: Cananga, Polyalthia.
Literature: J. Sinclair, Gard. Bull. Singapore 14 (1955) 149-516; K.M. Kochummen, Tree Fl. Mal. 1 (1972) 61-99. — Prof. P.J.M. Maas (U) and Dr. P.J.A. Kessler (L) are studying the family.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): For all Annonaceae: Leaves glaucous (p.p.), drying leaves turn black (p.p.), young leaves red (p.p.), broken leaves with white thread (p.p.), leaf with domatia (p.p.), leaf with dots (p.p.), inflorescence supra-axillary (p.p.), flowers yellow (p.p.), flowers 3-merous (p.p.), stamens numerous, fruit ridged (p.p.), apocarpous (p.p.), seeds arillate (p.p.), ruminate endosperm. For some taxa: Climbers without hooks/tendrils: Anomianthus, Cyathostemma, Desmos (p.p.), Ellipeia, Fissistigma, Mitrella, Pyramidanthe – Climbers with hooks/tendrils: Artabotrys, Friesodielsia, Melodorum, Rauwenhoffia, Uvaria – Armed plants: Artabotrys hexapetalus – Winged stems: Xylopia - Twigs white, petiole black: Goniothalamus – Supernumerary or serial buds: Cananga odorata (juvenile) - Plants with red or orange sap: Uvaria (p.p.) - Foetid smell: Cyathocalyx (p.p., flowers), Polyalthia (p.p.) - Wrinkled petiole: Platymitra, Uvaria (p.p.) - Dicots with large leaves: Goniothalamus (p.p.), Polyalthia dolichophylla - Intramarginal vein: Monocarpia – Scalariform tertiary venation: some taxa, e.g., Friesodielsia, Monoon, (Enicosanthum, Polyaltha p.p.) - Drying leaves turn black: some taxa, e.g., Phaeanthus – Young leaves red: some taxa, e.g., Monodora, Stelechocarpus burahol - Stellate hairs: Cyathocalyx (p.p.), Melodorum, Rauwenhoffia, Uvaria – Glaucous leaves: some taxa, e.g., Dasymaschalon (p.p.), Friesodielsia, Maasia, Uvaria - Leaves bullate: Marsypopetalum pallidum, Polyalthia (p.p.) – Leaf domatia: Annona, Hubera (p.p.) - Petiolar glands: Desmos chinensis - Leaf surface pustulate: Popowia – Cauliflorous: Annona (p.p.), Artabotrys, Cyathocalyx biovulatus, Goniothalamus (p.p.), Maasia (p.p.), Monoon, (Enicosanthum, Polyaltha p.p.), Stelechocarpus, Uvaria (incl. Cyathostemma), Winitia p.p. (Stelechocarpus p.p.) – Flagelliflory: Petalophus - Geocarpy (inflorescence subterranean): Desmos (p.p.), Goniothalamus (p.p.), Monoon, (Enicosanthum, Polyaltha p.p.), Polyalthia (p.p.) – Inflorescence leaf-opposed: Anaxagorea (p.p.), Cyathocalyx (p.p.), Fissistigma (p.p.), Monocarpia (p.p.) - Supra-axillary inflorescence: Cyathocalyx (p.p.), Goniothalamus (p.p.), Uvaria (p.p.) – Flowers yellow: some taxa, e.g., Annona, Cananga - Stamens with appendages: Polyalthia - Fruit spiny or muricate: Annona (p.p.), Monocarpia (p.p.), Pseuduvaria, Uvaria – Ridged fruits: some taxa, e.g., Anaxagorea - Fruit moniliform: Dasymaschalon, Desmos, Friesodielsia (p.p.), Orophea, Rauwenhoffia, Xylopia (p.p.) - Fruit compound: Annona, Rollinia, Uvaria -
Illustrations: Fig. 7 & 8. J. Sinclair, Gard. Bull. Singapore 14 (1955) 149-516; K.M. Kochummen, Tree Fl. Mal. 1 (1972) 61-99.
Image in PhytoImages for Annonaceae