Ascarina J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Shrubs or small or sometimes quite large trees, usually apparently dioecious or monoecious, glabrous, aromatic, the branches jointed at the nodes and the bases of the internodes sometimes swollen. Leaves decussate, often coriaceous, obtusely serrate, the serrations often gland-tipped; petiolar sheath very short; stipules very small, subulate; in sect. Madascarina JEREMIE and some species of sect. Ascarina there are two intermediary aphyllous nodes with eventually deciduous sheaths 2-6 mm long between successive pairs of leaves the stipular collar made up of the petiole-bases bearing 2 pairs of small teeth under 5 mm long. Flowers basically in much condensed biparous sessile cymes borne in the axil of a bract with an abaxial male flower and 1 or 2 adaxial female flowers with bracts and bracteoles (if 2-flowered), essentially representing a bisexual flower; sometimes 1-2 stamens are associated with 1-2 rudimentary or functional adaxial carpels which develop much later; but mostly inflorescences reduced to single male flowers or 1-2 female flowers and appearing monoecious or dioecious. Male flowers bracteate, reduced to 1-2 subsessile anthers with parallel linear locelli opening lengthwise or in sect. Madascarina with 2-5 (usually 3) sessile stamens with bilocular anthers. Female flowers consisting of a naked sessile ovoid-globose ovary without outer bracts or with 2 often caducous inner bracts and if flowers paired then with bracteoles also; stigma sessile, truncate or 2-lipped or in sect. Madascarina horseshoe-shaped. Fruits purplish grey turning black, obovoid, with thin succulent exocarp and stony smooth or verrucose unspecialised endocarp; epidermis without stomata. Seeds ovoid, flattened, with smooth testa, the seed coat with unlignified endotestal palisade but with lignified fibrous exotegmen.

Mostly in montane or submontane rain-forest, 450-3300 m; in both lowland and montane rain-forest in New Zealand and at lower and medium altitudes elsewhere in the Pacific.