Cupaniopsis Radlk.

Scientific Description

Family Sapindaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Trees; laticiferous, or non-laticiferous and without coloured juice. Stem internodes solid. Mesophytic. Leaves alternate; spiral; petiolate (petiole terete, finely ribbed, pulvinate); non-sheathing; gland-dotted, or not gland-dotted; compound; pulvinate; pinnate (paripinnate); paripinnate. Leaflets elliptic (to narrowly elliptic); attenuate to the base (or obtuse to acute). Leaf blades venation prominent; cross-venulate. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire (and undulate), or serrate. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present. Extra-floral nectaries absent. Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring, or anomalous.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite, or functionally male and functionally female, or functionally male, or functionally female. Unisexual flowers present, or absent. Plants hermaphrodite (K), or monoecious (AK), or dioecious (AK). Female flowers with staminodes (small). Male flowers with pistillodes.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in racemes (raceme-like), or in panicles (panicle-like). The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences axillary. Flowers pedicellate; bracteate; ebracteolate; small; regular to very irregular. The floral asymmetry involving the perianth and involving the androecium. Flowers 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic, or tricyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Hypogynous disk present; extrastaminal; annular. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled, or 3 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx present; 5 (2 seriate); 2 -whorled; gamosepalous; toothed (dentate); imbricate, or valvate; unequal but not bilabiate, or regular; with the median member posterior. Calyx lobes elliptic, or orbicular (to subcircular). Corolla present; 5; 1 -whorled; appendiculate; gamopetalous, or polypetalous; imbricate; unequal but not bilabiate, or regular. Petals ovate; sessile. Fertile stamens present, or absent. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 6–10. Androecial members free of the perianth; free of one another; 2 -whorled, or 1 -whorled. Androecium of male-fertile flowers exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 6–10; all more or less similar in shape; isomerous with the perianth to diplostemonous; inside the disc; filantherous. Anthers dorsifixed, or basifixed; more or less versatile; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate; appendaged, or unappendaged. The anther appendages apical (by connective extension). Fertile gynoecium present, or absent. Gynoecium 3 carpelled. The pistil 3 celled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious to eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary plurilocular; 3 locular (usually). Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; free, or partially joined; attenuate from the ovary, or from a depression at the top of the ovary; apical. Stigmas 1. Placentation axile to basal. Ovules 1 per locule; funicled, or sessile; pendulous, or horizontal, or ascending; arillate; hemianatropous, or anatropous, or campylotropous, or amphitropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit slighty fleshy to non-fleshy (valves villous inside); dehiscent; a capsule. Capsules loculicidal. Fruit 3 celled. Seeds non-endospermic. Cotyledons 2. Embryo curved, or bent, or coiled.

Etymology. From genus Cupania and from the Greek for "resemblance", referring to the close relationship to Cupania.