Families

Theaceae (Ternstroemiaceae)

This medium-sized family of trees and shrubs consists about 29 genera and 1000 species.  Leaves usually coriaceous and simple, alternate, serrate or entire, rarely stipulate.  The flowers are axillary, solitary or fascicled or in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles or springing from the trunk.  The fruit is a capsule, berry or achene with the sepals persistent at the base.  The seed usually has no endosperm and a straight or curved embryo.

Thymeleaceae

The Thymelaeaceae is a medium-sized family, mainly of shrubs contains about 45 genera and about 500 species. The leaves are alternate (occasionally opposite), entire and without stipules.  The flowers are regular, usually bisexual, and basically cup-shaped, with parts normally in fours or fives and are grouped in racemes, capitula or fascicles.  The fruit is variable, an achene, berry, drupe or occasionally a capsule; the seed has little or no endosperm and the embryo is straight.

Tiliaceae

Linden or basswood family, consisting of about 41 genera and 400 species of mostly shrubs and trees, widely distributed. It includes the lindens (limes) and the economically important jute.  The leaves are alternate in two ranks, both tending to lie towards the upper side of the horizontally spreading shoots which bear them.  The flowers are bourne in complex cymes in the leaf-axils, and are normally bisexual, regular, small and green, yellow or white.  Fruits are of various forms and the seed contain endosperm and well-differentiated, straight embryos.