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Daphne family
Thymelaeaceae Juss.
ジンチョウゲ科
A family of woody plants and herbs distributed from tropical to temperate regions. Approximately 50 genera and 900 species are known. In Japan, Daphne odora (winter daphne), Daphne kiusiana, Diplomorpha sikokiana, and Edgeworthia chrysantha are native or cultivated. The bark is extremely tough, and Edgeworthia bark is used as a raw material for Japanese washi paper.
Key Characteristics
- ●Bark with tough, fibrous tissue that is difficult to strip
- ●Tepals 4 to 5, fused into a tube (petals absent; sepals petaloid)
- ●Flowers fragrant in many species
- ●Fruit a drupe or berry
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
4 petals / 5 petals / Many
Petal fusion
Free / Fused
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Malvales > Thymelaeaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (ca. 80 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Evolution of a unique floral form with reduced petals and petaloid sepals
- ・Development of tough bark fibers (providing the cultural basis for washi paper and fiber use)
Plants in Daphne family on this site
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