Taxonomy of Flowering Plants - LECTURE NOTES - Spring, 1998
Hugh D. Wilson - rm. 306, Butler Hall
23 February 1998
The Caryophyllidae
Family Overview - The Caryophyllales

Phytolaccaceae - the Pokeweed Family

Diversity:  A family of 17 genera and about 120 species, both woody and (mostly) herbaceous plants with maximum diversity in the New World.  Treated by Cronquist as 'broadly defined' (sensu lato) with some included genera often treated as distinct families.

Distribution:  Found throughout the tropics and subtropics - pantropical - with some taxa, including the 5 genera each with a single species in Texas, extending into temperate parts of the World.

Floral structure:

 

Significant features:  Placed by Cronquist as the basal element of the Subclass, mainly due to partial syncarpy.

   Phytolacca americana - uniseriate perianth with 10 stamens, hypogynous and about ten carpels (each with a single ovule)
 
 
 

 

  Phytolacca gynoecium -  carpels only partially joined at the ovary with styles separate
 
 

   Phytolacca gynoecium -  fruit a berry
 

More information on the Phytolaccaceae

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