Evergreen trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, occasionally verticillate, the blades obovate, usually yellowish green above, somewhat paler beneath, penninerved with more or less prominent nervation. Inflorescence of loose axillary pedunculate panicles. Bracts and bracteoles inconspicuous and early deciduous. Flowers small, perfect, usually subglobose or obconic, often with bloom. Perianth-tube shallow. Perianth-lobes approximately equal in size, and incurved. Stamens of all three series fertile (in Panama), with noticeable connective of varying length; anther-cells of two outer series introrse, and occupying almost the entire anther; two extrorse anther-cells of inner series, or four cells, the upper pair lateral and smaller than the lower extrorse pair; filaments of inner series conspicuously biglandular. Staminodia usually well developed, occasionally, small and inconspicuous, but in Panama absent. Ovary glabrous. Style cylindrical and distinct from ovary or gradually-increasing in diameter toward its junction with ovary. Stigma usually well developed and peltate, occasionally small and triangular. Fruit a berry, borne in a shallow, more or less fleshy cupule, the margin of which is plane, slightly un-dulate or (in Panama) bearing the remains of the six persistent and enlarged perianth-lobes.
Home