DILLENIACEAE
Morphological description
Woody.
Leaves
Leaves spiral, simple, penninerved, leaves usually dentate / serrate; exstipulate (but petiolar wings may resemble stipules).
Inflorescence
Inflorescence,
Flowers
Flower usually yellow, sepals persistent in fruit; petals free, stamens numerous, styles free.
Fruit
Fruit more or less apocarpous, dehiscent; sepals persistent in fruit.
Seed
Seed arillate.
Different from: Guttiferae: leaves opposite, entire, yellow or white sap. — Ochnaceae: stipulate. — Theaceae: carpels completely united.
Distribution: The family more or less pantropical. In Malesia 5 genera, incl.: - Dillenia (Madagascar to Fiji), trees or shrubs, everwet and seasonal lowland forest; - Tetracera (pantropical), climbers, lowland primary and secondary forest.
Notes: Leaves of some Tetracera used for polishing. — Some Dillenia spp. planted as ornamental trees; Hibbertia scandens is a potential ornamental. — Some species of Dillenia have edible fruits. The fruits and arillate seeds of several Dillenia spp. are eaten by mammals and birds.
Literature: R.D. Hoogland, Fl. Males. I, 4 (1951) 141-172.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Dilleniaceae 58, 68, 104 - Acrotrema 40 - Dillenia 8, 33, 40, 53, 62, 85; D. pentagyna 62 - Hibbertia scandens 5, 24, 26 - Tetracera 5, 61, 79, 86.
Illustrations: Fig. 51. Dillenia indica L.
Image in PhytoImages for Dilleniaceae