BATACEAE
NB Sometimes written as Batidaceae
Morphological description
Shrublets.
Leaves
Leaves simple, opposite, entire, stipules minute.
Flowers
Flower unisexual, male flowers with 4 tepals and 4 stamens alternate with tepals, female flowers consisting of a naked superior ovary.
Different from: Chenopodiaceae: tepals usually 5, stamens opposite the tepals, tepals present in female flower.
Distribution: A family of one genus (Batis) with two species, one in the Neotropics, another one (Batis argillicola) in North Australia and S. New Guinea, in littoral clay plains.
Literature: P. van Royen, Fl. Males. I, 5 (1957) 414- 415.
Illustrations: Fig. 30. Batis argillicola P. Royen (Batidaceae). a. Twig with male flowers; b. male flower after removing bracts and spathella; c. male flower still enclosed by two bracts and spathella; d. female flower; b- d enlarged. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 5 (1957) 415, fig. 1a, c-d. a b c d 51.
Images in PhytoImages for Bataceae.