The Caryophyllidae
Family Overview - The Caryophyllales
Phytolaccaceae - the Pokeweed Family
Diversity:  A family of 18 genera and about 135 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 4 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

Return to the Biology 301 homepage, or the Caryophyllidae page