Family Pedaliaceae
Description: Annual or perennial herbs, strongly aromatic, with septate mucilage-secreting hairs.
Leaves opposite, sometimes alternate in the upper parts, entire to deeply lobed; stipules absent.
Inflorescences terminal or axillary, flowers solitary or in few-flowered cymose clusters with glands at the base of the stalks. Flowers zygomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous. Sepals 5, joined at base. Corolla tubular, 5-lobed, lowest lobe often longest. Stamens 4, epipetalous, in pairs with a small staminode; anthers 2-loculus, dehiscing by slits. Ovary superior with 2–4 carpels; ovules 1–many, placentation axile or basal; style single, terminal, with 2–4 stigmatic lobes.
Fruit hard, indehiscent, a 4-angled capsule, or a nut bearing thorns.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 12 genera, c. 50 species, Africa, Madagascar, India, Malesia & Australia. Australia: 2 genera, 4 species, Qld, N.S.W., N.T., S.A., W.A.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Pedaliaceae, Order: Lamiales)
Wikipedia
Text by L. Retter
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Josephinia,
Sesamum
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