e-flora of Sabah and Sarawak Aceraceae

Flora of Sabah and Sarawak

1. Aceraceae

Authors: A. Noorsiha


Trees or shrubs. Buds with protective scales. Leaves opposite-decussate, simple, palmately or pinnately veined, without stipules. Flowers in fascicles, panicles, racemes or corymbs, regular, often unisexual; sepals and petals 4–5, rarely without petals; disc annular or lobed, or reduced to teeth, rarely absent, intra- or extra-staminal; stamens (or staminodes) (4–)8(–10), hypogynous or perigynous, filaments free; ovary often present in rudimentary form in male flower, in female flowers 2-locular, superior, compressed, styles 2, free or connate at base, ovules 2 in each locule, placentation axile. Fruit composed of 2 one-seeded, onewinged samaras. Seeds without endosperm; embryo with folded cotyledons.

Distribution. Two genera (Acer and Dipteronia) with about 200–250 species distributed mainly in mixed deciduous forests of the northern temperate zone. Only one genus (Acer) with one species in western Malesia.

Taxonomy. Closely allied to the Sapindaceae, from which it can be distinguished by its opposite/decussate simple leaves, samara-type fruit, and seed without endosperm.


Lower Taxon
Location: Sabah, Malaysia

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