Families

Ebenaceae

The Ebenaceae is a medium sized family composed of 2 genera and 400-500 species.  Members of the family are mostly small trees with a monopodial crown and flattened foliage sprays.  Some are shrubs.  The leaves are alternate, simple, entire and without stipules.  The flowers are usually unisexual with male and female on separate plants, rarely structurally bisexual.  The fruit is a berry, the pericarp pulpy to fibrous, with a stony inner part.  The seeds are several, without endosperm, which is sometimes ruminate.

Elaeagnaceae

The Elaeagnaceae is a small family of much-branched shrubs, covered with silvery or golden scales.  It contains 3 genera and about 50 species.  A considerable number of species are thorny.  The stems and leaves are covered with silvery, brown or golden hairs which are either peltate or scaly.  The leaves are alternate, opposite, or in whorls, and are leathery in texture, simple, entire and without stipules.  The flowers are regular and either solitary or bourne in clusters or racemes.  They are bisexual or unisexual, the male and female usually being borne on different plants.  The fruit is an achene or drupe-like structure enclosed by the thickened lower part of the persistent calyx.  It contains a single seed with little or no endosperm and a straight embryo with thick, fleshy, cotyledons.

Elaeocarpaceae

The Elaeocarpaceae is a smallish family of tropical and sub tropical trees and shrubs, some of which are cultivated as ornamentals.  The leaves are alternate or opposite, and have stipules.  The flowers are regular, bisexual, bourne on racemes, panicles or cymes, and have four or five sepals, free or partly united, the fruit is a capsule or drupe; the seed contain straight embryo and abundant endosperm.

Ericaceae

The Ericaceae is a large family composed about 100 genera and 3000 species, mainly of shrubs. As this is a large family providing a general description is not possible.

Erithroxylaceae

This tropical and subtropical family of trees and shrubs includes the important cocaine producing coca plant.  The plants have simple, alternate (rarely opposite), ovoid leaves and stipules within the petioles.  The terminal or axillary flowers are very small, occurring in fascicles.  They are usually regular and bisexual, rarely unisexual (with sexes on separate plants).  The fruit is an ovoid drupe borne beyond the persistent calyx.  The seeds have endosperm and a straight embryo.

Euphorbiaceae

The spurge family of flowering plants, in the order Euphorbiales, comprised of more than 5000 species in 275 genera. Many members are important food sources; others are useful for their waxes and oils and as a source of medicinal drugs; dangerous for their poisonous fruits, leaves, or sap; or attractive for their colourful bracts (leaf-like structures located just below flower clusters) or unusual forms. Most of species of the family are found in temperate and tropical regions. The family consists of annual and perennial herbs and woody shrubs or trees, rarely climbers.  The leaves are alternate, rarely opposite, and have stipules.  They are usually simple, and when they are compound they are always palmate and never pinnate.  The flowers are of one sex, with male and female flowers usually borne on the same plant.  Petals are rarely present.  The fruit is usually a schizocarp, sometimes a drupe.  In a number of genera, the seeds are carunculate; they usually have copious endosperm.