Frankeniaceae

Taxonomic status Accepted
Occurrence status Present
Establishment means Native
Degree of establishment Native

Salt-tolerant herbs or small shrubs. Leaves opposite, sessile or petiolate, their bases often united by the dilated petiole or lamina margins; lamina simple. Flowers solitary or in cymes, bracteate, sessile, regular, bisexual (in Australia). Calyx a pleated, lobed tube; petals overlapping, usually free, often spathulate or clawed, frequently with ligular scale at base of lamina and often decurrent down claw, usually pink or white (rarely red or purple); stamens in 2 whorls, filaments of unequal length, often flattened; anthers versatile, locules opening away from the centre of the flower; ovary superior, unilocular, placentas 1–6, as many as there are style-branches, basal or parietal, style 1, usually branched. Fruit a capsule splitting lengthwise into valves, calyx persistent; seeds ovoid or cylindric; embryo straight.

4 or 5 genera comprising c. 100 species, almost cosmopolitan; 1 genus in Australia.

Source:

Entwisle, T.J. (1996). Frankeniaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., ‍Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae‍, pp. 372–376. Inkata Press, Melbourne.

Updated by: Val Stajsic, 8 Feb. 2019
Frankeniaceae (hero image) Spinning