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Dogbane family🌸
Apocynaceae Juss.
キョウチクトウ科
A large family under APG IV incorporating Asclepiadaceae (milkweed family), comprising about 5,000 species. It includes diverse plants such as oleander, plumeria, Adenium, Trachelospermum, and Marsdenia. Many species are toxic, containing latex, cardiac glycosides, and alkaloids.
Key Characteristics
- ●Many species exude milky white latex when cut
- ●Corolla is sympetalous, 5-lobed, sometimes with spirally twisted petals
- ●Fruit is a follicle (opening along one side), often with seeds bearing long silky hairs (coma)
- ●Some species (asclepiad group) have a corona (subsidiary corolla)
- ●Contains cardiac glycosides and monoterpene indole alkaloids
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Vine / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Latex
Present
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Gentianales > Apocynaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 55 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Major expansion of the family through merger with Asclepiadaceae
- ・Evolution of efficient pollination via pollinia (pollen masses) in the asclepiad group
- ・Development of herbivore defense through latex and cardiac glycosides
Plants in Dogbane family on this site
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