Austrobuxus Miq.

Shrubs to trees, dioecious; latex absent. Indumentum of simple hairs, most parts glabrescent; glandular and stinging hairs absent. Stipules absent (Malesia). Leaves simple, decussate; axillary buds usually covered by two relatively big scales, easily mistaken for stipules; petiole channelled above; blade symmetric, coriaceous, base attenuate to cuneate, margin entire to very laxly crenulate, flat to recurved, with very small glandular dots or teeth in shallow cavities, drying blackish; venation pinnate, generally indistinct, nerves looped and closed near margin, veins reticulate. Inflorescences axillary, imperfectly cymose, often thyrsoid, staminate ones with several flowers per node, pistillate ones generally with one flower or flowers in small groups per node; bracts hairy outside, glabrous to slightly hairy inside. Flowers actinomorphic; pedicel slightly hairy, glabrescent; sepals imbricate, glabrous to slightly hairy outside; petals absent. Staminate flowers pale green to yellowish to white, fragrant; pedicel cylindrical; sepals free, reflexed, the 2 outer ones smaller; stamens 4-9 (Malesia), around a raised receptacle, filaments glabrous; anthers elliptic, between basi-and dorsifixed, opening latro-extrorsely with longitudinal slits; pistillode absent, but receptacle raised and pistillode-like. Pistillate flowers: pedicel often elongating in fruit; sepals 4-8, ovate, tightly together in the young flower, apex rounded, outer ones very thick (and if present, inner ones thinner, with membranous upper margin); ovary 2-4-locular, 2 ovules per locule; style absent, stigmas short, reniform to completely split, shortly papillate above. Fruits regmas, red, exo-and mesocarp detaching, endocarp woody, dehiscing into 2-valved cocci from base to apex, completely loculicidal, partly septicidal; persistent column very slender, basally with collar of carpel remnants, apically shortly T-shaped. Seeds obovoid, at most one developing per locule, the others abortive, shiny, caruncle yellowish to black when dry, orange to deep red when fresh, consisting of short to longer papillae.