Schisandra Michx.

Woody vines, monoecious. Leaves alternate on long shoots or clustered on short shoots, exstipulate; lamina papyraceous to coriaceous, elliptic to ovate, apex acute to acuminate, base generally acute to decurrent, margins denticulate to entire, pinnate venation; petioles with groove on adaxial surface. Flowers generally solitary and axillary, occasionally in clusters of up to 8, sometimes ramiflorous. Perianth segments 5-20, imbricate at anthesis, outermost and innermost segments ± reduced, elliptic to suborbicular or obovate, white, (orange-)yellow, pink, or (purple-)red. Androecium of few to numerous (4-60) stamens; stamens sometimes ± free but fused at base of filaments, sometimes fused to form subglobose carnose mass with thecae embedded in cavities, sometimes fused to form flattened pentagonal mass ('staminal shield'); pollen grains trior hexacolpate, distally syncolpate. Gynoecium of numerous (12-120) carpels; receptacle cylindrical or conical, distinctly longer than wide; stigmatic crest forming subulate 'pseudostyle', lacking 'pseudostigma'; ovary with 2 (or 3) ventrally attached ovules. Fruit an aggregate of berries attached to elongated receptacle; berries ellipsoid to obovoid, ripening red; pedicel not enlarged in fruit. Seeds (l-)2(-3), smooth to rugulose, hilum lateral. Fig. 2.

UsesSchisandra is not very important economically, although the North Asian species S. chinensis and S. propinqua are used for various medicinal purposes [ L.M. Perry Medic. PI. S. & SE Asia 1980 381-382 ]