Difference between revisions of "Meliaceae"

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Revision as of 15:50, 24 November 2007

Mahogany family
Melia azedarach in flower
Melia azedarach in flower
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Juss.

Genera
See text.

The Meliaceae, or the Mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs (and a few herbaceous plants) in the order Sapindales,

They are characterised by alternate, usually pinnate leaves without stipules, and by syncarpous, apparently bisexual (but actually mostly cryptically unisexual) flowers borne in panicles, cymes, spikes, or clusters. Most species are evergreen, but some are deciduous, either in the dry season or in winter.

The family includes about 50 genera and 550 species, with a pantropical distribution; one genus (Toona) extends north into temperate China and south into southeast Australia, and another (Melia) nearly as far north.

Uses

Various species are used for vegetable oil, soap-making, insecticides, and highly prized wood (mahogany).

Some economically important species belong to this family:

Genera

References

  • Pennington, T. D. and B. T. Styles. 1975. A generic monograph of the Meliaceae. Blumea 22: 419-540.

External links