Caprifoliaceae (with Zabelia incert. sed.)

Abstract

Tall to medium-sized shrubs or lianas (species of Lonicera), rarely dwarf shrubs (Linnaea) or perennial herbs (Triosteum), winter buds with several scales. Leaves mostly deciduous, opposite, rarely whorled, blades sometimes sinuous to deeply lobed, margin entire or rarely serrate or dentate; normal stipules absent, rarely the bases of opposite leaves form intrapetiolar stipule-like structures of often varying form on subsequent nodes (Leycesteria spp., Lonicera spp.). Inflorescence a thyrse, mostly without terminal flower, or simplified to a spike, raceme or head; all or only the lower cymes often in the axils of foliage leaves. Flowers showy, actinomorphic to ± zygomorphic, haplostemonous, sometimes with supernumerary bracts at the base of the ovary; calyx normally 5-merous, regular or rarely bilabiate, with a short tube and 5 equal or rarely unequal short to long, persistent or deciduous teeth; corolla normally 5-merous, gamopetalous, funnel-shaped or campanulate, regular or normally more or less bilabiate, tube normally longer than the 5 imbricate lobes, sometimes basally gibbous or with a short abaxial spur; nectary usually 1 in the corolla tube at the base of the abaxial petal, or rarely 3–5; stamens 5 of ± equal length or 4, didynamous; anthers introrse, tetrasporangiate, inserted in the corolla tube; style simple, elongate, slender, stigma capitate, discoid or lobed; ovary inferior, of 2–5, very rarely 7–8(–10) carpels, all or only 1–3 fertile (sterile locules often with abortive ovules), more or less constricted beneath the calyx, placentation usually axile, rarely few ovules inserted on free septa in the distal part of the ovary. Fruit a many-seeded septicidal capsule or berry, a drupe with 2–4 pyrenes or a 1–2-seeded achene, sometimes with accrescent bracts; endosperm copious.

Hofmann Ursula (deceased).