Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Archichlamydeae: Myrtales

Lythraceae - Pride of India family

Fernandes, A. (1978) Lythraceae Flora Zambesiaca 4

Description of the family

Annual or perennial (often marshy or aquatic) herbs, suffrutices, shrubs or trees. Stipules 0 or 2-10 or more, small, subulate, axillary. Leaves simple, entire, opposite and decussate, sometimes whorled. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic (Cuphea), (3-)4-5(6-16)-merous, monomorphic or often dimorphic or trimorphic. Inflorescences various; pedicels usually with bracteoles. Calyx persistent. Petals 0 or as many as calyx lobes. Stamens variable in number, sometimes unequal. Ovary 2-6-locular. Fruit usually a capsule.

Worldwide: 27 genera and 600 species, mainly tropical but with a few temperate species.

Zimbabwe: 6 genera and 35 taxa.

Nesaea heptamera

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Ammannia L.Description, Image
Cuphea P. BrowneDescription
Galpinia N.E. Br.Description, Image
Hionanthera A. Fern. & DinizDescription
Nesaea Comm. ex Juss.Description, Image
Rotala L.Description

Other sources of information about Lythraceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Lythraceae
Flora of Burundi: Lythraceae
Flora of Caprivi: Lythraceae
Flora of the DRC: Lythraceae
Flora of Malawi: Lythraceae
Flora of Mozambique: Lythraceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Lythraceae
Flora of Rwanda: Lythraceae
Flora of Zambia: Lythraceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Lythraceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Lythraceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Lythraceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Lythraceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Lythraceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Lythraceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Lythraceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Lythraceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Lythraceae
Wikipedia: Lythraceae
Plants of the World Online: Lythraceae
Tropicos: Lythraceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Family page: Lythraceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=128, retrieved 13 December 2024

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