Leaf Anatomy and Venation Patterns of the Styracaceae

Tiie plants are distributed primarily in eastern Asia to western Malaysia, tropical South America, and the southeastern Fnited States.Ecologically, the plants occupy a variety of habitats.The largest genus.Styrax L.. includes about 120 species and is widely distributed in the tropical and warm temperate regions of eastern Asia and America.A conspicuous exception to this distribution pattern is Styrax officinalis L., which is found in the Mediterranean region and in California.In Asia the numerous species extend from the eastern Himalayas to Malaysia.Indochina, Korea, and Japan.The New World species are widely distributed from Pacific to Atlantic North America, the West Indies, southward to Venezuela and southern Brazil.Two sections of the uenus were recognized by Perkins (1907): Styrax {Eustyrax Perk.), with the ovary 16-to 24-ovulate, and Foveolaria (Ruiz & Pa von) Perk., with the ovary 3-to 5-ovulate.Section Styrax was divided by Giirke (1891) and Perkins (1907) into two series, Valvatae and Imbricatae, on the basis of aestivation of the corolla lobes.As van Steenis (1932) has shown 1 r, iml lion varies widely with respect to both individual plants and species.The genus Halesia Ellis ex Linnaeus (about 5 species) occurs in southeastern North America and in eastern Asia./irninsniia Hoerlage & Koorders (2 species) is found in Assam, Burma, and Malaysia (excluding the Malay Peninsula), Paraphilia Martius ex A. de Oandolle (3 species) is located in brazil, and Ajrostyrax Perkins & Gilg (2 species), which according to Baas (1972) is better placed in the family Huaceae of the Mai vales, occurs in tropical Africa.The remainder of the genera are distributed from the Himalayas through ' I'm i ii I i ip i / / »//' ■ 1 itsumina (S species), China and Formi ■ ">''<»' i r, I) tldeY Zuccaiini (7 species).Burma to Japan; Rehderodendron Hu (10 species), China and Indochina; liuodendron Rehder (6 species), southern China, Siam, and Indochina; Sinojackia Hu (3 species) imihern ( hiiKi ra;-Qs/yra.. \\\ Smith (1 species), Burma; and M elliodendron Handel Mazzetti (3 species), southern and southwestern China.As reviewed by Spongberg (1°76), the (lowers of the Styracaccac are 'This study represents a portion of a thesis submitted by W. E. Schadel to the i.i id i ni