BERBERIDOPSIDACEAE 2 genera, 3 species; 2 spp. in E Australia, 1 sp. in Chile. Scandent shurbs or lianas, often with cyanogenic glycosides. Leaves alternate, simple, entire to coarsely dentate, sub-3-5-veined from the base, in 1 sp. glaucous. Stipules absent. Flowers bisexual (always?), hypogynous, axillary, solitary or in many- flowered racemes or leafy racemes. Flowers cyclic (5 sepals + 5 deciduous, pale pink to cream petals: Streptothamnus) or acyclic (13-17 deciduous, pink to purple tepals in a spiral: Berberidopsis). Stamens 6-13 with very short filaments and muriculate anthers (Berberidopsis) or numerous with filaments longer than smooth anthers (Streptothamnus); disk present or absent; pollen 3-colpate. Ovary unilocular, with 3-5 parietal placentae. Fruit a berry with a persistent style.
SPECIES OF BERBERIDOPSIDACEAE Streptothamnus moorei F.v.Muell.: AUSTRALIA: Queensland & New South Wales; montane rainforests and edges of secondary vegetation. Berberidopsis beckleri (F.v.Muell.) Veldk.: AUSTRALIA: Queensland & New South Wales; montane rainforest and edges of secondary vegetation. Berberidopsis corallina Hook.f.: CHILE: Concepción, Arauco, Cautín, Valdivia, & Osorno; coastal cordilleras, banks of streams in dense shaded places.
SELECTED LITERATURE Baas, P Vegetative anatomy and taxonomy of Berberidopsis and Streptothamnus (Flacourtiaceae). Blumea 30: Chase, M.W. et al. [in press.] When in doubt, put it in Flacourtiaceae: a molecular phylogenetic analysis based on plastid rbcL DNA sequences. Kew Bulletin. Harden, G.J Flacourtiaceae. Pp in Harden, G.J., ed. Flora of New South Wales. Vol. 1. Kensington: New South Wales UP. Jessup, L.W Flacourtiaceae. Pp in Briggs, B.G. et al., eds. Flora of Australia. Vol. 8. Lecythidales to Batales. Canberra. Lemke, D.E A synopsis of Flacourtiaceae. Aliso 12: van Heel, W.A Flowers and fruits in Flacourtiaceae. V. The seed anatomy and pollen morphology of Berberidopsis and Streptothamnus. Blumea 30: Veldkamp, J.F Berberidopsis (Flacourtiaceae) in Australia. Blumea 30:21-29.