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Sweetshrub family
Calycanthaceae
ロウバイ科
A small family placed in Laurales under APG III. Chimonanthus praecox is native to China and widely planted in Japan, producing waxy yellow flowers in winter. Tepals and stamens are spirally arranged, retaining primitive angiosperm traits.
Key Characteristics
- ●Tepals and stamens in spiral arrangement with gradual transition from outer to inner
- ●Flowers cup-shaped and fragrant
- ●Opposite leaves, aromatic when crushed
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Aromatic
Aromatic / None
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Magnoliids > Laurales > Calycanthaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (ca. 90 Ma onwards)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Retention of spiral floral arrangement as a primitive angiosperm trait
- ・Development of volatile aromatic compounds for insect attraction
Plants in Sweetshrub family on this site
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