DICHAPETALACEAE
Morphological description
Woody.
Leaves
Leaves spiral, simple, entire, penninerved, usually with strong looping veins; black glands on underside of leaves; stipules small, caducous.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence cymose.
Flowers
Flower functionally unisexual (plants, monoecious or dioecious), 5-merous; petals bifid, free; disk of 5 intrastaminal lobes; ovary 2- or 3-locular, 2 apical ovules per cell.
Fruit
Fruit a 1-3-seeded, lobed drupe (fruit flat when only 1 carpel developed).
Different from: Euphorbiaceae: never bifid petals.
Distribution: The family and the only Malesian genus, Dichapetalum, pantropical. In Malesia 15 species, mostly climbers of lowland and montane rain forest.
Notes: Leaves and young fruits of Dichapetalum timoriense are edible.
Literature: P.W. Leenhouts, Fl. Males. I, 5 (1957) 305-316.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): 31, 54, 60, 71, 81, 95, 99, 101.
Illustrations: Fig. 50. Dichapetalum timoriense (DC.) Boerl.: a. habit; b. flower; c. petals; d. stamens; e. anther; f. disk; g. ovary; h. fruit; i. CS of fruit.
Image in PhytoImages for Dichapetalaceae