Abstract
The family mainly comprises herbs and shrubs, often climbing, while trees are rare. The leaves are usually decussate. The flowers are bilabiate, the ovary is bilocular. The fruit is a loculicidal beaked capsule opening with 2 valves. The funicle develops a hook-like process which aids in the expulsion of the seeds. The seed coat often has a slimy epidermis. Seeds are usually without endosperm, but with a large embryo.
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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Roth, I., Lindorf, H. (2002). Plant Families. In: South American Medicinal Plants. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04698-2_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04698-2_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-07544-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04698-2
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