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Olax family
Olacaceae R.Br.
オラクス科
A family of woody plants widely distributed in tropical regions (partially split and reorganized under APG IV), comprising about 30 genera and 180 species. Many are hemiparasitic or holoparasitic woody plants. In Japan, one species of Olax occurs in the Ryukyu Islands.
Key Characteristics
- ●Many species are hemiparasitic to holoparasitic on host roots
- ●Leaves are alternate, simple, and coriaceous
- ●Flowers are small, 3- to 5-merous
- ●Fruit is a drupe
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
Absent
Latex
Present / Absent
Aromatic
Aromatic / Foetid / None
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
6 petals / Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5 / 6
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Santalales > Olacaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Divergence as a root-parasitic lineage within Santalales
- ・Taxonomic reorganization under APG IV (splitting of the former broadly circumscribed Olacaceae)
Plants in Olax family on this site
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