Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae (pronounced: a-kan-tha-see-ee) is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are the tropics of America, Africa, and Asia, and the Mediterranean.
Etymology
The name Acanthaceae comes from the Greek word 'akanthos' which means 'spine' in reference to the sharp spines that some of the species in this family possess.
Description
Members of the Acanthaceae are often characterized by opposite leaves and inflorescences in the form of spikes or racemes. The flowers are typically bilateral and zygomorphic. The calyx and corolla are both 5-parted. The fruit is often a capsule.
Genera
Some of the notable genera in the Acanthaceae family include Acanthus, Justicia, Ruellia, and Thunbergia.
Related Terms
- Dicotyledon: A group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons.
- Epiphyte: A plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests.
- Inflorescence: The arrangement of flowers on the plant.
- Zygomorphic: Bilaterally symmetrical in one plane only, in a way that can be divided into two mirror-image halves.
- Capsule (fruit): A type of dry fruit that is dehiscent, meaning it opens when mature.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Acanthaceae
- Wikipedia's article - Acanthaceae
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