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ACANTHACEAE

ACANTHUS FAMILY

Lawrence R. Heckard

Annual, perennial herb, shrubs
Leaves simple, generally opposite; stipules 0
Inflorescence: cyme, spike, or raceme, bracted
Flower bisexual; calyx deeply (3)4–5 lobed; corolla 4–5 lobed, nearly radial to 2-lipped; stamens (2)4, epipetalous, anther sacs sometimes dissimilar in size or placement; ovary superior, chambers 2, ovules 4–many, placentas axile, style long, stigmas 1–2
Fruit: capsule, loculicidal, generally dehiscing explosively
Seeds generally 2 per chamber, ejected by specialized hook-like stalks
Genera in family: 250 genera, 3000 species: especially tropical; some ornamental: Justicia (Beloperone, shrimp-plant), Acanthus , Thunbergia. [Daniel 1984 Desert Plants 5:162–179]