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FOC | Family List | FOC Vol. 7 | Schisandraceae

2. Schisandra Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 218. 1803.

五味子属 wu wei zi shu

Schisandra sphaerandra

Credit: Harvard University Herbaria

Vines, woody, glabrous or with trichomes, dioecious or monoecious. Leaf blade elliptic, ovate, or obovate, papery to leathery, base cuneate to broadly cuneate and often decurrent on petiole, margin denticulate or entire, apex acute to acuminate. Flowers unisexual, axillary to bracts or leaves, generally solitary (sometimes paired or clustered in Schisandra propinqua and S. plena). Tepals 5-20. Staminate flowers: stamens 4-60, ± distinct or partially to fully connate to form a fleshy synandrium; pollen 3- or 6-colpate, distally syncolpate. Pistillate flowers: carpels 12-120, distinct; stigmatic crest forming a subulate "pseudostyle," lacking "pseudostigma"; ovary with 2(or 3) ventrally attached ovules. Fruit aggregates of apocarps; receptacle elongate; apocarps ripening red or rarely blackish, ellipsoid to obovoid. Seeds (1 or)2(or 3), smooth to rugulose.

Twenty-two species: E and SE Asia, one species in North America; 19 species (12 endemic) in China.

Most of the species of this genus are medicinal. The fibers are used to make rope. The stems, leaves, and fruit are used to extract volatile oil.


1 Leaf blade abaxially pubescent or tomentose at least on primary and secondary veins   (2)
+ Leaf blade abaxially without trichomes   (6)
       
2 (1) Leaf blade abaxially with trichomes extending across entire surface; petioles and peduncles pubescent or tomentose   (3)
+ Leaf blade abaxially with trichomes restricted to primary and secondary veins; petioles and peduncles glabrous   (4)
       
3 (2) Abaxial surface of leaf blades, petioles, and peduncles tomentose; perianth lacking red pigmentation; tepals 5-7.   9 S. tomentella
+ Abaxial surface of leaf blades, petioles, and peduncles pubescent; perianth with red pigmentation; tepals 7 or 8.   10 S. pubescens
       
4 (2) Largest tepals 2-5 mm wide; staminate flowers with (4 or)5(-7) stamens; flower peduncle 0.6-2.8 cm (staminate), 0.7-3.5 cm (pistillate).   16 S. chinensis
+ Largest tepals 6-10.5 mm wide; staminate flowers with 14-28 stamens; flower peduncle 2.3-5.2 cm (staminate), 5-7.1 cm (pistillate)   (5)
       
5 (4) Young branches lacking wings; leaf blade abaxially not glaucous; staminate flowers with 14-19 stamens; seeds smooth to ± rugulose.   11 S. pubinervis
+ Young branches narrowly winged; leaf blade abaxially variably glaucescent; staminate flowers with 18-28 stamens; seeds tuberculate to very tuberculate.   15 S. longipes
       
6 (1) Flowers solitary, paired, or in clusters; stamens connate into an androecial mass   (7)
+ Flowers solitary; stamens essentially distinct but apical stamens occasionally connate   (8)
       
7 (6) Leaf blade venation adaxially not prominent; fused androecium subglobose to globose; thecae borne on distinct connectives arising from cavities on surface of fused androecium; fruit torus 2-6.5 cm; apocarps 4.5-9 × 4-8.5 mm.   18 S. propinqua
+ Leaf blade venation adaxially prominent; fused androecium elongate; thecae sessile, located on opposing sides of cavities on surface of fused androecium; fruit torus 5-17 cm; apocarps ca. 10 × 12 mm.   19 S. plena
       
8 (6) Staminate flowers with 5 stamens radiating horizontally outward from a broad floral apex (forming a 5-merous staminal "shield").   17 S. bicolor
+ Staminate flowers with (4 or)5-70 stamens ± spirally arranged around an elongate floral axis   (9)
       
9 (8) Largest tepals 0.6-2.3 cm; pollen 3-colpate; pistillate flowers with (35-)50-120 carpels; pseudostyle large and broad   (10)
+ Largest tepals 0.3-1.3 cm; pollen 6-colpate; pistillate flowers with 14-65 carpels; pseudostyle small or narrow   (13)
       
10 (9) Leaf blade 3.5-8(-12.5) × 1.5-3(-6.5) cm; stamens partially adnate with broad floral axis, only uppermost free with short distinct filaments.   4 S. sphaerandra
+ Leaf blade 5.5-15 × 2-5.5(-7.5) cm; stamens distinct   (11)
       
11 (10) Perianth deep purplish red to deep red.   2 S. rubriflora
+ Perianth cream, white, or flesh-pink   (12)
       
12 (11) Perianth cream or white; fruit torus 13-18(-25) cm.   1 S. grandiflora
+ Perianth flesh-pink; fruit torus 5-11 cm.   3 S. incarnata
       
13 (9) Young branches narrowly or conspicuously winged.   14 S. henryi
+ Young branches lacking wings   (14)
       
14 (13) Staminate flowers with (4 or)5(-7) stamens; apical stamens not connate.   16 S. chinensis
+ Staminate flowers with 7-40 stamens; apical stamens generally connate   (15)
       
15 (14) Largest tepals 3-6.5 mm; pistillate flowers with 14-24 carpels; fruit torus 1.5-6.5 cm   (16)
+ Largest tepals 4-12 mm; pistillate flowers with 20-56 carpels; fruit torus 2-15.5(-22) cm   (17)
       
16 (15) Leaf blade narrow, 2-3.7 × as long as wide; fruit torus 3-6.5 cm.   12 S. lancifolia
+ Leaf blade broad, 1-1.9(-2.5) × as long as wide; fruit torus 1.5-3.5 cm.   13 S. micrantha
       
17 (15) Leaf blade abaxially conspicuously glaucous.   8 S. glaucescens
+ Leaf blade abaxially not glaucous   (18)
       
18 (17) Leaf blade secondary and lower order veins not prominent abaxially or adaxially; seed testa smooth.   6 S. sphenanthera
+ Leaf blade secondary and lower order veins prominent abaxially and often adaxially; seed testa smooth, rugulose, or rarely tuberculate   (19)
       
19 (18) Leaf blade venation dark after drying.   5 S. neglecta
+ Leaf blade venation pale after drying.   7 S. arisanensis

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