Class
Order
Classification
Subordinate Taxa
Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Acanthaceae
Synonymy:
- = Avicenniaceae
Description
Mainly herbs, sometimes shrubs or vines. Lvs opposite, simple, exstipulate, often with cystoliths. Fls mostly in spikes, racemes, or dense heads (glomerules), occasionally solitary. Bracts often conspicuous and coloured. Calyx 4–5-lobed; lobes imbricate or valvate, occasionally much reduced. Corolla gamopetalous, zygomorphic, (1)–2-lipped; lobes convolute or imbricate in bud. Stamens 4 and didynamous, or 2, inserted on corolla. Ovary superior, sessile on a disc, 2-locular; ovules 2 or more per loculus. Fr. a capsule, mainly dehiscing from apex downwards; valves recurved and parting from central axis. Seeds mostly with indurated funicles which forcibly eject the seeds, usually non-endospermic.
[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]
Biostatus
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Indigenous (Non-endemic) | 1 |
| Exotic: Fully Naturalised | 3 |
| Exotic: Casual | 8 |
| Exotic: Cultivated | 1 |
| Total | 13 |
Bibliography
Cronquist, A. 1988: The evolution and classification of flowering plants. The New York Botanic Gardens, New York.
Mabberley, D.J. 2008: Mabberley's plant book, a portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses. Edition 3. Cambridge University Press.
Mabberley, D.J. 2017: Mabberley's plant book, a portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses. Edition 4. Cambridge University Press.
