Family and Genus Descriptions

ACANTHACEAE
Herbs, shrubs, and lianas, rarely small trees. Stems
often with swollen nodes, most conspicuous when
dry. Leaves simple, mostly opposite, rarely alternate.
Stems and leaves often with tiny cystoliths (“stone
cells”) appearing conspicuously as white puncta-
tions. Fruit a bivalved capsule with longitudinal or
loculicidal dehiscence, or a drupe. Some genera rec-
ognizable by showy inflorescences with large bracts
or bracteoles of different colors.

Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. Vines and lianas. Leaves

simple, opposite, entire. Cystoliths not apparent. In-
fructescences axillary. Fruit a drupe to 2.5 cm long,
black when mature, surrounded by glabrous or pu-
bescent calyx lobes; the mesocarp fleshy, dark pur-
ple to blackish when mature. Seeds one per fruit.
Some authors separate this genus into the family
Mendonciaceae. Distribution: Central America to Bo-
livia and in the Old World tropics.
Acanthaceae - Mendoncia (2.31x; 12.39 x 7.34)
Ruellia L. Herbs to 2 m tall. Leaves simple, oppo-
site, entire. Stems and leaves with cystoliths. Infruc-
tescence axillary. Fruit a bivalved capsule, to 2 cm
long, brown at maturity. Seeds numerous per fruit, re-
maining attached to the funiculus. Distribution: Cen-
tral America to Paraguay and Argentina.

Acanthaceae - Ruellia (6.88x; 4.42 x 4.15)

Acanthaceae - Mendoncia (2.39x; 16.77 x 8.05)

Stenostephanus Nees. Shrubs to 3 m tall. Leaves

simple, opposite, entire; petioles short; laminas large.
Infructescence terminal. Fruit a bivalved capsule, to
2 cm long, brown when mature. Seeds numerous per
fruit, remaining attached to the funiculus. Distribu-
tion: Peru.

Acanthaceae - Mendoncia (2.73x; 13.53 x 4.96)

Acanthaceae - Stenostephanus (6.19x; 4.56 x 4.12)