Herreriaceae
~ Liliaceae
Habit and leaf form. Scandent (sub-) shrubs, or lianas. Rhizomatous, or tuberous. Climbing; stem twiners, or scrambling (sometimes with stem prickles, cf. Smilax). Leaves alternate, or opposite; spiral; leathery (somewhat cladode-like); sessile (concentrated in lateral clusters); simple. Lamina entire; linear to lanceolate; parallel-veined; without cross-venules (?). Lamina margins entire.
Leaf anatomy. The mesophyll containing calcium oxalate crystals. The mesophyll crystals raphides.
Stem anatomy. Xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls scalariform.
Reproductive type, pollination. Plants hermaphrodite. Floral nectaries present. Nectar secretion from the gynoecium (via septal nectaries).
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in panicles. Inflorescences not scapiflorous; axillary; panicles, with small, scalelike leaves at the base, the pedicels articulated. Flowers small; regular; 3 merous; cyclic; pentacyclic. Perigone tube absent. Hypogynous disk absent.
Perianth of ‘tepals’; 6; 2 whorled; isomerous; sepaloid, or petaloid (?); similar in the two whorls (at least in size and shape); deciduous.
Androecium 6. Androecial members free of the perianth; free of one another; 2 whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 6; diplostemonous. Anthers dorsifixed, or basifixed; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse. Pollen grains aperturate; 1 aperturate; sulcate.
Gynoecium 3 carpelled. Carpels isomerous with the perianth. The pistil 3 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary 3 locular; sessile. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary; apical; short. Stigmas 1; capitate. Placentation axile. Ovules 1–50 per locule (to ‘many’).
Fruit non-fleshy; dehiscent; a capsule. Capsules septicidal (trilobate). Seeds copiously endospermic; helically winged (and flattened). Testa encrusted with phytomelan; black.
Physiology, biochemistry. Ellagic acid absent.
Geography, cytology. Paleotropical and Neotropical. Temperate to tropical. Subtropical South America, Madagascar.
Taxonomy. Subclass Monocotyledonae. Superorder Liliiflorae; Asparagales. APG (1998) Monocot; non-commelinoid; Asparagales. Species 9. Genera 2; Herreria, Herreriopsis.
Description very poor.
Cite this publication as: ‘L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 14th December 2000. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/’. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000), and Watson and Dallwitz (1991) should also be cited (see References).