Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Archichlamydeae: Laurales

Lauraceae - Laurel family

Diniz, M.A. (1997) Lauraceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(2)

Description of the family

Evergreen trees or shrubs or a parasitic climber (Cassytha). Stipules 0. Leaves simple, alternate, well-developed or minute and scale-like (Cassytha). Flowers bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic, 3-merous. Perianth calyx-like, usually 6-lobed; in two rows. Fertile stamens usually in 4 whorls, together with an innermost row of 3 staminodes. Ovary superior (in ours), 1-locular. Style simple; stigma terminal, sometimes 2-lobed. Fruit a berry, drupe or sometimes dry, indehiscent. Seed 1, without endosperm.

Worldwide: 52 genera and 2,850 species, occurring in tropical and warm areas, especially SE Asia and Brazil.

Zimbabwe: 5 genera and 8 taxa.

Cassytha pondoensis var. pondoensis

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

GenusContent
Cassytha L.Description, Image
Cinnamomum Schaeff.Description, Image
Cryptocarya R. Br.Description, Image
Ocotea Aubl.Description, Image
Persea Mill.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Lauraceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Lauraceae
Flora of Caprivi: Lauraceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Lauraceae
Flora of Malawi: Lauraceae
Flora of Mozambique: Lauraceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Lauraceae
Flora of Zambia: Lauraceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Lauraceae

External websites:

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



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: Lauraceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=115, retrieved 29 March 2024

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