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Dichapetalum family
Dichapetalaceae
カイナンボク科
A tropical family of about 3 genera and 165 species distributed in tropical rainforests of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Some species of Dichapetalum contain potent toxins such as monofluoroacetic acid, known to cause livestock poisoning. Mostly woody climbers.
Key Characteristics
- ●Woody climbers or shrubs
- ●Leaves alternate, simple
- ●Petals bifid at the apex (the basis of the genus name)
- ●Inflorescences sometimes borne on the petiole or midrib
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
Shrub / Tree / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Inferior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Malpighiales > Dichapetalaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (approx. 50 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Evolution of fluorofatty acids (monofluoroacetic acid) as a specialized chemical defense
- ・Evolution of the distinctive bifid petal morphology
Plants in Dichapetalum family on this site
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