| |||||||||
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Magnoliaceae |
Magnolioideae
Liriodendroidae
A family in the flowering plant order Magnoliales. Consists of two subfamilies:
Unlike most angiosperms, whose flower parts are in rings, the Magnoliaceae have their stamens and pistils in spirals on a conical receptacle. This arrangement is found in old fossil plants and is believed to be primitive for angiosperms. Their flowers are also not so clearly differentiated into having sepals and petals like most other flowering plants; the "dual-purpose" parts that occupy both positions are known as tepals.
Hunt, D. (ed). 1998. Magnolias and their allies. International Dendrology Society & Magnolia Society.
ISBN 0-9517234-8-0