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Euptelea family
Eupteleaceae
フサザクラ科
A small family consisting solely of the genus Euptelea, distributed in Japan, China, and the Himalayas. In early spring, conspicuous red stamens appear before the leaves in wind-pollinated flowers. A phylogenetically isolated group at the base of the eudicots.
Key Characteristics
- ●Lacking petals and sepals (no perianth)
- ●Numerous stamens clustered in tufts, flowering in early spring
- ●Leaves alternate, serrate with acuminate tips
- ●Fruits are samaras, wind-dispersed
- ●Deciduous trees to shrubs
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
Serrate / Dentate
Growth form
Shrub / Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Petal fusion
Free
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Basal eudicots > Eupteleales > Eupteleaceae
Divergence Era
Early to Middle Cretaceous (approx. 110 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Reductive evolution toward wind pollination with loss of petals and sepals
- ・Early divergence as a basal lineage of the eudicots
Plants in Euptelea family on this site
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