Nyctaginaceae
| Nyctaginaceae | |
|---|---|
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| Mirabilis jalapa, the four o'clock. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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| Order: | |
| Family: | Nyctaginaceae
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Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, has about 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. It includes plants like the Bougainvillea and the four o'clock. Most of the species are vines.
The family has a unique fruit type, called an "anthocarp".[1] Many genera have extremely large (>100 µm) pollen grains.
A curious aspect of M. jalapa, the four o'clock, is that flowers with different colours grow simultaneously on the same plant.
Notes
[change | change source]- ↑ An anthocarp is an accessory fruit: some of the flesh is derived not from the ovary but from some exterior tissue.