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Carpetweed family
Molluginaceae Bartl.
ザクロソウ科
A small family of about 120 species distributed in arid and sandy habitats in tropical and subtropical regions. In Japan, Mollugo (naturalized from Asia) grows along roadsides and in fields. Most are small herbs with inconspicuous flowers.
Key Characteristics
- ●Small herbs with prostrate or erect stems
- ●Leaves are simple, whorled or opposite
- ●Petals absent; 5 sepals are petal-like
- ●Fruit is a capsule containing numerous seeds
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
4 petals / 5 petals / 6 petals / Many
Petal fusion
Free / Fused
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Molluginaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 45 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Adaptation to nutrient-poor, dry sandy environments
- ・Simplification of flowers through petal loss and reduction in size
Plants in Carpetweed family on this site
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