a group of families of mostly flowers having basal or central placentation and trinucleate pollen (binucleate pollen is commoner in flowering plants); contains 14 families including: Caryophyllaceae (carnations and pinks), Aizoaceae, Amaranthaceae, Batidaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cactaceae (order Opuntiales), Nyctaginaceae, Phytolaccaceae