5. Limnanthaceae R. Brown
Gordon C. Tucker
Herbs, annual; glabrous or pubescent (not glandular; producing glucosinolates). Stems erect, decumbent, or sprawling; unbranched. Leaves alternate, simple or compound; venation pinnate; stipules absent; petiole present; blade margins entire or pinnately lobed, bipinnate, or ternate. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary; bracts absent. Pedicels present. Flowers usually bisexual, usually actinomorphic, rotate; perianth and androecium hypogynous; sepals usually persistent, 3 or 5 (4 in Limnanthes macounii), distinct or slightly connate basally, equal or unequal; petals same number as sepals, convolute in bud, distinct, equal; nectary glands present; stamens 3, 6, 8, or 10 (same or twice the number of sepals); filaments distinct, glabrous; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits, introrse or extrorse, tetrasporangiate, pollen shed in single grains, binucleate, 2-4-aperturate, colpate or colporate; disc absent; gynophore absent; pistil 1; ovary 2-5-carpellate, syncarpous basally (united by gynobasic style); placentation basal; ovules 1 per locule, anatropous, unitegmic; style 1 (gynobasic); stigmas (2 or) 3-5 (dry, papillate). Fruits schizocarps (mericarps or nutlets), tuberculate, ridged, smooth, or rugulose. Seeds 1; not arillate; endosperm absent.
Genera 2, species 8 (8 in the flora): North America.
SELECTED REFERENCES Link, D. A. 1992. The floral nectaries of Limnanthaceae. Pl. Syst. Evol. 179: 235-243. Ornduff, R. 1971. Systematic studies of Limnanthaceae. Madroño 21: 103-111. Ornduff, R. and T. J. Crovello. 1968. Numerical taxonomy of Limnanthaceae. Amer. J. Bot. 55: 173-182. Parker, W. H. and B. A. Bohm. 1979. Flavonoids and taxonomy of Limnanthaceae. Amer. J. Bot. 66: 191-197. Plotkin, M. S. 1998. Phylogeny and Biogeography of Limnanthaceae. M.S. thesis. University of California, Davis.
