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Polygonales

(Order)

Overview

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Polygonales was an order of , recognized by several older systems, such as the Wettstein system, last revised in 1935, the Engler system, in its update of 1964, and the Cronquist system, 1981. Its circumscription was typically:

In these systems the order is placed close to the order Caryophyllales (or its predecessor Centrospermae). Cronquist placed this order in his subclass Caryophyllidae of three orders.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Order Polygonales is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Polygonaceae

Herbs, shrubs, or small trees, sometimes monoecious or dioecious. Stems erect, prostrate, twining, or scandent, often with swollen nodes, striate, grooved, or prickly. Leaves simple, alternate, rarely opposite or whorled, petiolate or subsessile; stipules often united to a sheath (ocrea) . Inflorescence terminal or axillary, spicate, racemose, paniculate, or capitate. Pedicel occasionally articulate. Flowers small, actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely unisexual. Perianth 3-6-merous, in 1 or 2 series, herbaceous, often enlarged in fruit or inner tepals enlarged, with wings, tubercles, or spines. Stamens usually (3-) 6-9, rarely more; filaments free or united at base; anthers 2-loculed, opening lengthwise; disk annular (often lobed) . Ovary superior, 1-loculed; styles 2 or 3, rarely 4, free or connate at lower part. Fruit a trigonous, biconvex, or biconcave achene; seed with straight or curved embryo and copious endosperm.[1] [more]

At least 5,286 species and subspecies belong to the Family Polygonaceae.

More info about the Family Polygonaceae may be found here.

Bibliography

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Footnotes

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  1. Anjen Li, Bojian Bao, Alisa E. Grabovskaya-Borodina, Suk-pyo Hong, John McNeill, Sergei L. Mosyakin, Hideaki Ohba & Chong-wook Park "Polygonaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 277. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Sources

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Last Revised: April 26, 2010
2010/04/26 09:02:10