Loasaceae

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Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Loasaceae (from the genus Loasa, the meaning unknown). Loasa Family. Fig. 41. Erect or climbing herbs, rarely shrubby, with very peculiar and characteristic hairs, some hooked, some stinging: leaves opposite or alternate, very diverse: flowers bisexual, regular, mostly perigynous (i.e., receptacle usually extended beyond the ovary); sepals 4-5, imbricated; petals 4-5, flat or cucullate; stamens 4-5, alternating with the petals, or more commonly very numerous through doubling, the outer often converted into staminodia which resemble the petals; ovary usually inferior, and 1-celled, with 3 parietal placentae; ovules numerous: fruit a capsule, rarely indehiscent, often spirally constructed. There are 13 genera and about 120 species confined to America from the Great Plains to Chile; most abundant in South America. This is a distinct family distantly related to the Passifloraceae and the Begoniaceae. The very peculiar hairs constitute a good recognition character. On Mentzelia there are three types of hairs: (1) Chinese pagoda-like, broad at the base; (2) tuberculate stem and harpoon-like top; (3) smooth stem and harpoon top. The flowers with many staminodia are often large and cactus-like. Very queer, grotesque, complex scales are produced in the flowers of certain genera (e. g., Loasa) through the union of several staminodia. Mentzelia hispida is a strong purgative, and is used by the Mexicans for syphilis. A few genera are in cultivation in North America. Of these, Loasa is like a nettle, and the sting is very painful, but the flowers are queer and interesting. Mentzelia comprises a number of garden annuals or biennials often with large showy flowers. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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