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Storax family
Styracaceae DC. & Spreng.
エゴノキ科
A family of woody plants distributed in East Asia, North America, and the Mediterranean, comprising about 160 species. In Japan, Styrax japonica, S. obassia, Pterostyrax hispida, and P. corymbosa are native, with beautiful pendant white flowers. The family is also a source of benzoin resin.
Key Characteristics
- ●Deciduous or evergreen trees to shrubs
- ●Flowers are white and pendulous, 5- to 7-merous
- ●Corolla is often deeply lobed and recurved
- ●Fruit is drupe-like, often covered with stellate hairs
- ●Contains saponins; fruits are toxic (origin of the Japanese name 'Egonoki')
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 / Entire / Crenate
Growth form
Shrub / Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
4 petals
Ovary position
Superior / Inferior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
1-2
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Ericales > Styracaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 50 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Anti-herbivory defense through saponin accumulation in fruits
- ・Disjunct distribution across East Asia, North America, and the Mediterranean (reflecting post-Cretaceous continental drift)
Plants in Storax family on this site
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