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Opilia family
Opiliaceae Valeton
オピリア科
A small family of woody plants distributed in the Old World tropics (Africa, Asia, Australia), comprising about 10 genera and 30 species. Many are root-parasitic. No native species have been confirmed in Japan, though related species may occur in the Nansei Islands.
Key Characteristics
- ●Evergreen shrubs to trees, root-parasitic
- ●Leaves are simple and alternate
- ●Flowers are small, 4- 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
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
4 petals / 5 petals / Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Santalales > Opiliaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 75 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Divergence as a root-parasitic lineage within Santalales
- ・Dispersal across the Old World tropics with regional speciation
Plants in Opilia family on this site
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