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  • Butomaceae Mirb.

This family is accepted.

[FTEA]

Butomaceae, Susan Carter. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1960

Morphology General Habit
Perennial or annual, aquatic, swamp or marsh herbs, glabrous, usually lactiferous
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Rhizome short; roots short, fibrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves erect or floating, basal; petiole with a sheathing base; leaf-blade entire, iridaceous, or lanceolate to orbicular with cuneate to truncate base and acute to rounded apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence umbellate, rarely with solitary flowers; bracts 2 or 3; bracteoles several; flowers regular, bisexual
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 3, persistent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 3, delicate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens 6–9–?; filaments flattened; anthers 2-celled, dehiscing longitudinally and laterally
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Carpels superior, free or joined at the base, 6–?, in a whorl, unilocular; style terminal; stigma sessile; ovules ?, scattered over the ovary-wall on a reticulate placenta
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruiting carpels finally dehiscing along the ventral suture; seeds ?, smooth, wrinkled or ridged, rarely slightly spiny, without endosperm; embryo horseshoe-shaped or straight
Distribution
A small family, confined to the tropics or subtropics except for Butomus L. which extends across Europe and Asia. The following genus is the only one which occurs in Africa

[FWTA]

Butomaceae, F.N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, aquatic or swamp rhizomatous herbs, usually with milky juice
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ensiform to orbicular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary or umbellate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth 2-seriate, the outer 3 usually sepal-like, imbricate, the inner 3 petal-like and usually thin and deciduous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens hypogynous, 8-9 or numerous; anthers basifixed, opening laterally
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Carpels free; ovules numerous, scattered, on the reticulately branched parietal placentas
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits opening by the adaxial suture
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, without endosperm

Butomaceae Mirb. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Hist. Nat. Pl. 8: 194. 1804 (1804)

Accepted by

  • APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0