Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Poales

Restionaceae - Cape reed family

Leistner, O.A. (ed.) (2000) Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera Strelitzia 10

Description of the family

Perennial, usually dioecious, rush- or sedge-like herbs. Rootstock tufted or rhizomatous, bearing dense scaly sheaths. Culms usually bearing a convolute leaf sheath; ligule usually 0. Inflorescence a spike, raceme or panicle, often different in male and female plants. Spikelets subtended by a sheath. Flowers usually unisexual. Perianth of 6 segments in 2 whorls. Male flowers: stamens 3; anthers 1-thecous. Female flowers: staminodes 0-3; ovary superior, 1-3-locular with 1 ovule per loculus; styles 1-3. Fruit a capsule or nutlet.

Worldwide: 41 genera and 420 species, mainly southern hemisphere and especially Australia and South Africa but with one species in Vietnam.

Malawi: 1 genus and 2 taxa.

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

GenusContent
Platycaulos H.P. LinderDescription

Other sources of information about Restionaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Restionaceae
Flora of Zambia: Restionaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Restionaceae

External websites:

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



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: Restionaceae.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=194, retrieved 28 March 2024

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