Nyctaginaceae

The Nyctaginaceaefamilyconsists of some 33 genera and290 species of flowering plants naturally spread in the tropical and subtropical regions (with the largest number of species in the tropical regions of America).These are grasses, shrubs, more rarely trees and lianas. Their leaves are opposite without stipules. The leaves have brightly colored bracts and calyx and there is a reduced corolla in cymose topical inflorescences (umbel and etc.) The fruit is dry, apocaprous.
Members of the familyare theBougainvillea Comm. ex Juss order (popular as ornamental shrubs and lianas in the warm climate regions) and Mirabilis expansa (Ruiz & Pav.) Standl. (a root vegetable grown by the Incas,with high content of proteins and carbohydrates).