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Crassulaceae Candolle
Ghulam Rasool Sarwar
Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, rarely undershrubs or shrubs, usually succulent, sometimes woody at base. Leaves alternate, opposite or verticillate, usually simple, sometimes compound, exstipulate, often thick and fleshy, sometimes forming a basal rosette. Flowers actinomorphic, (3-)4-5(-32)-merous, usually bisexual, in axillary or terminal cymes, often grouped in corymb- or panicle-like inflorescences, less often in racemes or spike or solitary in the leaf axil. Sepals free or united. Petals free or united, sometimes forming a tubular corolla. Stamens as many or twice as many as the petals, filaments free or more or less adnate to the corolla; anthers 2-celled, usually basifixed, introrse, dehiscing longitudinally. Carpels superior or semi-inferior, equal in number to the petals, free or united at the base. Nectar scales usually present, small, applied to the base of the outer face of the carpels. Fruit a follicle. Seeds few-numerous, very small with smooth, rugose or tuberculate tegument and usually fleshy endosperm and straight embryo.
A family of c. 33 genera and c. 1500 species distributed all over the world except Occeania. Represented in Pakistan by 9 genera and 32 species.
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| 1 |
Stamens as many as petals. |
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(2) |
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Stamens twice as many as petals. |
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(3) |
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| 2 (1) |
Leaves opposite, connate at the base. Flowers minute in the axils of the leaves 0.9-2.5 mm long, 3-5 merous. |
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Tillaea |
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Leaves alternate, not connate at the base. Flowers small, terminal 3-6 mm long, 3-9-merous. |
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Sedum |
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| 3 (1) |
Leaves decussate. Flowers 4-merous, large, petals forming tubular corolla. |
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(4) |
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Leaves not decussate. Flowers 3-9-merous, small, petals free or connate basally till the middle. |
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(5) |
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| 4 (3) |
Sepals fused, calyx tubular and inflated. Stamens inserted at the base of corolla. Flowers pendent. |
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Bryophyllum |
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Sepals free or basally united. Stamens inserted at or above middle of corolla. Flowers erect on pedicel. |
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Kalanchoe |
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| 5 (3) |
Plants with scaly leaves. |
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(6) |
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Plants without scaly leaves. |
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(7) |
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| 6 (5) |
Petals connate nearly to the middle. |
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Pseudosedum |
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Petals free or nearly free. |
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Rhodiola |
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| 7 (5) |
Ovaries stipitate – attenuate at the base. |
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(8) |
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Ovaries sessile, not attenuate at the base. |
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(9) |
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| 8 (7) |
Inflorescence corymbose. Petals free. Basal cauline leaves not forming rosettes. |
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Hylotelephium |
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Inflorescence a raceme. Petals basally connate. Basal cauline leaves forming rosettes. |
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Orostachys |
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| 9 (7) |
Plants with basal rosette. Petals united. Style situated on the dorsal side of ovary. |
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Rosularia |
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Plants without basal rosette. Petals free or basally united. Styles situated on the ventral side of ovary. |
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(10) |
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| 10 (9) |
Foliage radical leaves forming rosette. Rhizome thick. |
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Rhodiola |
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Foliage radical leaves absent. Rhizome absent or thin. |
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Sedum |
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Lower Taxa
Related Synonym(s):
| Related Links (opens in a new window) |
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Treatments in Other Floras @ www.efloras.org
Other Databases
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