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Polygonaceae

Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae image
  • FNA
  • Resources
Craig C. Freeman, James L. Reveal in Flora of North America (vol. 5)
Trees, shrubs, vines, or herbs, perennial, biennial, or annual, homophyllous (heterophyllous in some species of Polygonum), polycarpic (rarely monocarpic in Eriogonum); roots fibrous or a solid or, rarely, chambered taproot, rarely tuberous. Stems prostrate to erect, sometimes scandent or scapose, solid or hollow, rarely with recurved spines (some species of Persicaria), glabrous or pubescent, sometimes glandular; nodes swollen or not; tendrils absent (except in Antigonon and Brunnichia); branches free (adnate to stems distal to nodes and appearing to arise internodally in Polygonella); caudex stems (subfam. Eriogonoideae) tightly compact to spreading and at or just below the soil surface or spreading to erect and above the soil surface, woody; aerial flowering stems prostrate or decumbent to erect, arising at nodes of caudex branches, at distal nodes of aerial branches, or directly from the root, slender to stout and solid or slightly to distinctly fistulose, rarely disarticulating in ringlike segments (Eriogonum). Leaves: deciduous (persistent in Coccoloba and sometimes more than 1 year in Antigonon, Eriogonum, Chorizanthe, and Polygonella), basal or basal and cauline, rosulate, mostly alternate, infrequently opposite or whorled; stipule (ocrea) absent (subfam. Eriogonoideae, possibly vestigial in some perennial species of Chorizanthe) or present (subfam. Polygonoideae), persistent or deciduous, cylindric to funnelform, sometimes 2-lobed (Polygonum), chartaceous, membranous, coriaceous or partially to entirely foliaceous; petiole present or absent, rarely articulate basally (Fagopyrum, Polygonella, Polygonum), rarely with extrafloral nectaries (Fallopia, Muehlenbeckia); blade simple, margins entire, occasionally crenulate, crisped, undulate, or lobed, rarely awn-tipped (Goodmania). Inflorescences terminal or terminal and axillary, cymose and dichotomously or trichotomously branched, or racemose, umbellate, or capitate (subfam. Eriogonoideae; or spikelike, racemelike, paniclelike, cymelike, or, rarely, capitate (subfam. Polygonoideae), comprising simple or branched clusters of compound inflorescences; bracts absent (subfam. Polygonoideae), or 2-10+, usually connate proximally or to 1/ 2 their length, rarely perfoliate, foliaceous or scalelike, margins entire, sometimes awn-tipped (subfam. Eriogonoideae, rarely absent in Eriogonum), glabrous or pubescent; peduncle present or absent; clusters of flowers subtended by involucral bracts or enclosed in typically nonmembranous tubular involucres (subfam. Eriogonoideae) or subtended by connate bracteoles forming a persistent membranous tube (ocreola) (subfam. Polygonoideae). Pedicels present or absent, rarely accrescent (Brunnichia), articulate to flowers. Flowers: usually bisexual, sometimes bisexual and unisexual on same or different plants, rarely unisexual only, 1-many, often with stipelike base distal to articulation; perianth persistent, often accrescent in fruit, often greenish, white, pink, yellow, red, or purple, rarely winged or keeled (Fallopia and some species of Polygonum), campanulate to urceolate, sometimes membranous, indurate (Brunnichia and Emex), or fleshy (Coccoloba, Muehlenbeckia, and some species of Persicaria) in fruit, rarely developing raised tubercles proximally (Rumex), glabrous or pubescent, sometimes glandular or glandular-punctate; tepals 2-6, distinct or connate proximally and forming tube, usually in 2 whorls, petaloid or sepaloid, dimorphic or monomorphic, rarely coriaceous (Lastarriaea), entire, emarginate, or lobed to laciniate apically, rarely awn-tipped (Lastarriaea); nectary a disk at base of ovary or glands associated with bases of filaments; stamens (1-)6-9, staminode rarely present; filaments distinct, or connate basally and sometimes forming staminal tube, free or adnate to perianth tube, glabrous or pubescent proximally; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits; pistil 1, (rudimentary pistil sometimes present in staminate flowers of monoecious or dioecious taxa), (2-)3(-4)-carpellate, homostylous (heterostylous in some species of Fagopyrum and Persicaria); ovary 1-locular (sometimes with vestigial partitions proximally); ovule 1, orthotropous or, rarely, anatropous, placentation basal or free-central; styles 1-3, erect to spreading or recurved, distinct or connate proximally; stigmas 1 per style, peltate, capitate, fimbriate, or penicillate. Fruits: achenes, included or exserted, yellowish, brown, red, or black, homocarpic (sometimes heterocarpic in Polygonum), winged or unwinged, 2-gonous, 3-gonous, discoid, biconvex, lenticular, rarely 4-gonous or spheroidal, glabrous or pubescent. Seeds 1; endosperm usually abundant, mealy, development nuclear; embryo straight or curved, rarely folded.
Species within inventory project: Arizona Flora || << 1 - 50 taxa >>
Antigonon leptopus
Media resource of Antigonon leptopus
Bistorta bistortoides
Media resource of Bistorta bistortoides
Centrostegia thurberi
Media resource of Centrostegia thurberi
Chorizanthe brevicornu
Media resource of Chorizanthe brevicornu
Chorizanthe corrugata
Media resource of Chorizanthe corrugata
Chorizanthe rigida
Media resource of Chorizanthe rigida
Chorizanthe rosulenta
Media resource of Chorizanthe rosulenta
Chorizanthe watsonii
Media resource of Chorizanthe watsonii
Coccoloba goldmanii
Media resource of Coccoloba goldmanii
Dedeckera eurekensis
Media resource of Dedeckera eurekensis
Eriogonum abertianum
Media resource of Eriogonum abertianum
Eriogonum alatum
Media resource of Eriogonum alatum
Eriogonum aliquantum
Media resource of Eriogonum aliquantum
Eriogonum annuum
Media resource of Eriogonum annuum
Eriogonum arcuatum
Media resource of Eriogonum arcuatum
Eriogonum argophyllum
Media resource of Eriogonum argophyllum
Eriogonum arizonicum
Media resource of Eriogonum arizonicum
Eriogonum artificis
Media resource of Eriogonum artificis
Eriogonum bifurcatum
Media resource of Eriogonum bifurcatum
Eriogonum brachypodum
Media resource of Eriogonum brachypodum
Eriogonum caespitosum
Media resource of Eriogonum caespitosum
Eriogonum capillare
Media resource of Eriogonum capillare
Eriogonum capistratum
Media resource of Eriogonum capistratum
Eriogonum cernuum
Media resource of Eriogonum cernuum
Eriogonum codium
Media resource of Eriogonum codium
Eriogonum concinnum
Media resource of Eriogonum concinnum
Eriogonum correllii
Media resource of Eriogonum correllii
Eriogonum corymbosum
Media resource of Eriogonum corymbosum
Eriogonum cronquistii
Media resource of Eriogonum cronquistii
Eriogonum darrovii
Media resource of Eriogonum darrovii
Eriogonum davidsonii
Media resource of Eriogonum davidsonii
Eriogonum deflexum
Media resource of Eriogonum deflexum
Eriogonum deserticola
Media resource of Eriogonum deserticola
Eriogonum divaricatum
Media resource of Eriogonum divaricatum
Eriogonum ericifolium
Media resource of Eriogonum ericifolium
Eriogonum exaltatum
Media resource of Eriogonum exaltatum
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Media resource of Eriogonum fasciculatum
Eriogonum fimbriatum
Media resource of Eriogonum fimbriatum
Eriogonum flavum
Media resource of Eriogonum flavum
Eriogonum foliosum
Media resource of Eriogonum foliosum
Eriogonum fusiforme
Media resource of Eriogonum fusiforme
Eriogonum gordonii
Media resource of Eriogonum gordonii
Eriogonum heermannii
Media resource of Eriogonum heermannii
Eriogonum heracleoides
Media resource of Eriogonum heracleoides
Eriogonum hieracifolium
Media resource of Eriogonum hieracifolium
Eriogonum hieraciifolium
Media resource of Eriogonum hieraciifolium
Eriogonum hookeri
Media resource of Eriogonum hookeri
Eriogonum hylophilum
Media resource of Eriogonum hylophilum
Eriogonum inflatum
Media resource of Eriogonum inflatum
Eriogonum jamesii
Media resource of Eriogonum jamesii
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This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MG-70-19-0057-19].

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