MELIACEAE
Morphological description
Woody, usually trees, non-climbing; exstipulate. Sometimes subshrubs (Munronia, some Turraea). Sometimes brown scales or stellate hairs (Aglaia); milky sap (Aglaia, Aphanamyxis, Chisocheton (rare), Lansium).
Leaves
Leaves spiral, compound. Sometimes leaves simple or unifoliolate (Vavaea, sometimes in Aglaia, Turraea and Walsura); leaves bipinnate (Melia); leaves 3-foliolate (Sandoricum, sometimes in Aglaia and Walsura); leaf-tip continuing growth in adult leaf (Chisocheton).
Inflorescence
Inflorescence sometimes with flowers on the rachis (epiphyllous) (Chisocheton, rare); long spicate inflorescence (Aphanamyxis).
Flowers
Flower choripetalous; ovary superior. Usually hermaphroditic; filaments forming a tube (nearly free in Cipadessa, Toona, Walsura); stigma broad; placentation axile.
Fruit
Fruit.
Seed
Seed arillate.
Different from: Anacardiaceae: sap turning black, stamens free. — Burseraceae: sap resinous, flowers mostly unisexual, often 3-merous. — Rutaceae: leaves with pellucid dots, stamens free. — Sapindaceae: leaves often with free rachis tip, flowers often unisexual, stamens free.
Distribution: Family widespread in tropics and subtropics. In Malesia 20 genera, incl.: - Aglaia (Indo-Australia), trees, common in lowland rain forest; - Chisocheton (Indo-Malesia), trees, mostly lowland rain forest; - Dysoxylum (Indo-Australia), trees, mostly lowland rain forest; - Xylocarpus (paleotropics), trees of mangrove forest.
Notes: Members of the family form an important component of the lowland and midmontane rain forest, some occur in monsoon forest. — The fruits of many species are eaten by various animals; the seeds of Xylocarpus are buoyant. — Several species are useful for man; edible fruits: Lansium, Sandoricum; ornamentals: Aglaia, Azadirachta, Melia; timber: Dysoxylum, Swietenia*, Toona; seeds of Swietenia macrophyllum used medicinally.
Literature: T.D. Pennington & B.T. Styles, A generic monograph of the Meliaceae, Blumea 22 (1975) 419-540; D. J. Mabberley & C.M. Pannell, Tree Fl. Mal. 4 (1989) 199-260; D. J. Mabberley, C.M. Pannell & A.M. Sing, Fl. Males. I, 12 (1995) 1-407.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Meliaceae 10, 25, 58, 84, 104 - Aglaia 19, 25, 26, 38, 59, 70, 78, 88 - Aphanamyxis 19, 25, 38, 78, 88; A. polystachya 60 - Chisocheton 18, 19, 25, 41, 70, 74, 78; C. myrmecophilus 9 - Chukrasia 41 - Dysoxylum 21, 24, 31, 40, 41, 45, 49, 70; D. caulostachyum 99 - Heynea 25, 31, 42, 59 - Lansium 19, 70 - Melia 50 - Munronia 28, 85 - Pseudoclausena 88 - Reinwardtiodendron 88; R. humile 67 - Sandoricum 48 - Swietenia 102 - Toona 24, 78, 102; T. sureni 21 - Vavaea 14 - Walsura 31, 42, 48, 59, 88; W. monophylla 38 - Xylocarpus 94.
Illustrations: Fig. 106. Chisocheton lasiocarpus (Miq.) Valeton. Fig. 107. Vavaea amicorum Benth.: a & f. habit; b. LS of flower; c. staminal tube; d. CS of fruit; e. fruits.
Image in PhytoImages for Meliaceae