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Degeneria family
Degeneriaceae I.W.Bailey & A.C.Sm.
デゲネリア科
A very ancient angiosperm family endemic only to the Fiji Islands. A near-monotypic family comprising 1 genus with 2 species (Degeneria vitiensis and D. roseiflora). The floral morphology retains many ancestral features of angiosperms, making it highly significant for research on floral evolution.
Key Characteristics
- ●Petals and sepals poorly differentiated, with numerous tepals
- ●Stamens flattened and leaf-like, with 3-locular anthers (ancestral trait)
- ●Pistil a single, conduplicate carpel
- ●Evergreen tree with fragrant flowers
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Aromatic
Aromatic
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Free
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Magnoliids > Magnoliales > Degeneriaceae
Divergence Era
Early Cretaceous (ca. 120 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Retention of ancestral angiosperm traits as a basal lineage of magnoliids
- ・Independent evolution through isolation on the Fiji Islands
- ・Preservation of flattened stamens as evidence of early angiosperm floral evolution
Plants in Degeneria family on this site
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