Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Archichlamydeae: Sapindales

Meliaceae - Mahogany family

Styles, B.T. & White, F. (1991) Meliaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa

White, F. & Styles, B.T. (1963) Meliaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(1)

Description of the family

Trees or shrubs. Stipules 0. Leaves (in ours) alternate, simple (Turraea) or compound. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, but well-developed sterile vestiges of the non-functional sex may be present, actinomorphic, mostly 4-5-merous. Sepals 4-6, connate to ± free. Petals usually 4-5, free. Disk present. Stamens (5-)8-10(-20), usually partly or completely fused to form a staminal tube and usually bearing appendages. Ovary superior, (2-)4-5(-20)-locular. Style 1. Fruit a capsule or drupe. Seeds usually with an aril, winged or with a corky or woody outer covering.

Worldwide: 51 genera and 565 species mostly tropical with a few subtropical.

Malawi: 7 genera and 16 taxa.

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Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Ekebergia Sparrm.Description
Entandrophragma C. DC.Description
Khaya A. Juss.Description
Lepidotrichilia (Harms) J.-F.LeroyDescription
Melia L.Description
Trichilia P. BrowneDescription
Turraea L.Description

Other sources of information about Meliaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Meliaceae
Flora of Burundi: Meliaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Meliaceae
Flora of the DRC: Meliaceae
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Meliaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Meliaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Meliaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Meliaceae
Flora of Zambia: Meliaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Meliaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Meliaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Meliaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Meliaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Meliaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Meliaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Meliaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Meliaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Meliaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Meliaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Meliaceae
Wikipedia: Meliaceae
Plants of the World Online: Meliaceae
Tropicos: Meliaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Family page: Meliaceae.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=135, retrieved 4 November 2024

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