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ORDO CHEIRANTHODENDREAE [1]

Calyx valde quincunciali-imbricatus, 5-partitus, pl. m. corollinus, persistens. Petala nulla. Stamina 5, ima calyce parum adnata, segmentis ejus alterna, monadelpha: antheræ biloculares, adnatæ, extrosæ: loculis sat elongatis parallelis longitrorsum dehiscentibus: pollinis granulæ subtrigonæ, læves, reticulatæ. Ovarium 5-loculare, loculis sepalis antepositis: stylus filiformis indivisus, stigmate minimo indiviso terminus. Ovula in loculis plurima, horizontalia, anatropa. Semina ovalia, testa crustacea lævi. Embryo in albumine carnosa rectus, eodem paullo brevior: cotyledones ovales, foliaceæ, leviter (Gordoniæ fere modo) subplicatæ, radicula 3–4-plo longiores. — Arbor et frutex, pube stellulata furfuraceo-pubescentes: foliis palmatilobatis alternis, stipulis parvis caducis, pedunculis terminalibus vel oppositifoliis unifloris, floribus sat magnis sub calyce 3-bracteolatis, sepalis basi intus fovea nectarifera instructis.

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[1] The clade Professor Gray raised to the rank of family as Cheiranthodendreae (Cheiranthodendraceae), is more usually recognised as a tribe, Fremontodendreae, of uncertain affiliation within Malvaceae sensu APG. It has derived floral characters, with oppositifoliate, apetalous, flowers, with a quincuncial calyx, and the number of stamens reduced to 5, which makes classification on morphological grounds difficult. It has usually be assigned to Sterculiaceae or Bombaceae. DNA sequence data places it within the Malvatheca clade, but it is unclear whether it is more nearly allied to Bombacoideae or Malvoideae.

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