Rutaceae
Shrubs or trees, rarely herbs, usually aromatic. Lvs simple or compound, sometimes apparently simple but reduced, mostly dotted with translucent glands, exstipulate. Infls cymose or fls solitary. Fls usually ⚥, actinomorphic. Sepals 4-5, imbricate, free or connate. Petals 4-5, usually imbricate and free. Stamens usually as many or twice as many as petals, rarely numerous; connective often glandular at the apex. Disc prominent, annular, situated at base of stamens. Ovary superior, (2)-4-14-(15)-celled, sometimes apocarpous; placentae axile; ovules 1-many, superposed; styles free or connate. Fr. usually a berry, drupe, or capsule, rarely a samara. Seeds with or without endosperm.
Key
c. 150 genera, 900-1600 spp., mostly tropical and subtropical regions, especially South Africa and Australia.
Although this is a very common family in cultivation in N.Z., only a single sp. of the economically important genus Citrus in the subfam. Aurantioideae, is apparently eligible for inclusion here. The main genera commonly grown for ornament are South African members of subfam. Rutoideae, trib. Diosmeae: Adenandra Willd., Agathosma Willd., Coleonema Bartling et Wendl. f., Diosma L.; and temperate Australian members of trib. Boronieae: Boronia Smith, Correa Andrews, Crowea Smith, Eriostemon Smith and Phebalium Vent. The spp. in all but the last of these genera are small shrubs possessing xeromorphic features, many of them having an ericoid habit. In addition, in trib. Xanthoxyleae, the Mexican Choisya ternata Kunth is very common and long persists, forming suckering thickets, in old gardens.
