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Buckthorn family
Rhamnaceae
クロウメモドキ科
A family of about 52 genera and 900 species including Rhamnus, Berchemia, Ziziphus, and Hovenia. Widely distributed from the tropics to temperate regions worldwide. About 10 genera are native to Japan, where the sweet fleshy peduncle of Hovenia dulcis is edible in autumn.
Key Characteristics
- ●Predominantly woody (trees, shrubs, or woody climbers)
- ●Flowers small, pentamerous; petals small and concave, enclosing the stamens
- ●Many species thorny
- ●Fruit types diverse: drupes, samaras, or capsules
- ●Leaves alternate, often with 3 prominent main veins
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate / Palmate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Vine / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
5 petals / Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Inferior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosids > Rosales > Rhamnaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (approx. 80 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Widespread distribution from tropics to temperate regions with evolution of diverse fruit types
- ・Acquisition of nitrogen fixation through Frankia symbiosis in some lineages
Plants in Buckthorn family on this site
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