Home
Shrubs, trees, or woody vines, evergreen (deciduous in some Crateva), with branched or simple trichomes. Stipules spinelike, small, or absent. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, simple or compound with 3[-9] leaflets. Inflorescences axillary or superaxillary, racemose, corymbose, subumbellate, or paniculate, 2-10-flowered or 1-flowered in leaf axil. Flowers bisexual or sometimes unisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, often with caducous bracteoles. Sepals 4(-8), in 1 or 2 whorls, equal or not, distinct or basally connate, rarely outer whorl or all sepals connected and forming a cap. Petals (0-)4(-8), alternating with sepals, distinct, with or without a claw. Receptacle flat or tapered, often extended into an androgynophore, with nectar gland. Stamens (4-)6 to ca. 200; filaments on receptacle or androgynophore apex, distinct, inflexed or spiraled in bud; anthers basifixed (dorsifixed in Stixis), 2-celled, introrse, longitudinally dehiscent. Pistil 2(-8)-carpellate; gynophore ± as long as stamens; ovary ovoid and terete (linear and ridged in Borthwickia), 1-loculed, with 2 to several parietal placentae (3-6-loculed with axile placentation in Borthwickia and Stixis); ovules several to many, 2-tegmic; style obsolete or highly reduced, sometimes elongated and slender; stigma capitate or not obvious, rarely 3-branched. Fruit a berry or capsule, globose, ellipsoid, or linear, with tough indehiscent exocarp or valvately dehiscent. Seeds 1 to many per fruit, reniform to polygonal, smooth or with various sculpturing; embryo curved; endosperm small or absent.
Herbs, shrubs or trees, sometimes scandent, glabrous, pubescent, glandular or scabrous, occasionally lepidote. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, simple or digitately 2–7-foliolate; leaflets entire, rarely serrate, dentate or panduriform. Stipules present, minute or spiny, caducous or persistent. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, racemose, often corymbose, or the flowers solitary or fascicled, often showy. Flowers hermaphrodite or very rarely dioecious, regular or irregular. Sepals 4–8, free or variously connate, valvate, imbricate or open in aestivation; receptacle cupular, funnel-shaped or cylindric, with an entire, undulate, dentate or fimbriate margin, sometimes very short. Petals 4–16 or absent, sessile or clawed. Stamens few to many, usually borne on a short or elongated androphore, all fertile or some without anthers; filaments free, equal or unequal, filiform; anthers 2-celled, oblong, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary sessile or more usually supported on a gynophore of varying length, 1-locular with parietal placentas or divided by spurious dissepiments into 2 or more locules; ovules few to many. Fruit a capsule or berry, mostly oblong-cylindrical, globose or torulose, few-to many-seeded, rarely 1-seeded. Seeds usually reniform or angular; endosperm none or scanty; embryo arcuate or incurved; cotyledons folded or convolute
Herbs, shrubs, climbers or trees, glabrous or hairy; hairs sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, petiolate, simple, or dissected or compound, sometimes heteroblastic; stipules spiny or absent. Inflorescence racemose, terminal or lateral; bracts small, caducous or absent. Flowers actinomorphic, sometimes slightly zygomorphic, bisexual, except Apophyllum. Sepals 4, rarely 2, in two whorls, equal or unequal, the outer whorl free or fused. Petals 4, rarely 2, equal, free. Stamens 1 to many, free, sometimes connate at base and adnate to gynophore; anthers bilocular, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Receptacle sometimes with nectariferous glands. Ovary superior, 2–6-carpellate, 1–3-locular, sessile or usually on a gynophore; stigma simple, sessile; ovules 1 to many; placentation parietal. Fruit a capsule or berry. Seeds 1 to many, mostly coiled-reniform; embryo curved or coiled; testa smooth or sculptured, with or without aril.
Ovary usually borne on a more or less elongated gynophore, usually 1-locular with 2 parietal placentas but sometimes 2-locular by the intrusion of the placentas or multi-locular; ovules 4–?
Receptacle cupular, funnel-shaped or cylindric with an entire, undulate, dentate or fimbriate margin, sometimes very short
Inflorescences terminal or axillary, of racemes, corymbs or panicles, or flowers solitary and axillary
Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual or unisexual by abortion, usually 4-merous, hypogynous
Leaves alternate, simple or digitately 3––9-foliolate; stipules absent or rudimentary, rarely spiny
Stamens 5–? usually borne on a short or elongated androphore, sometimes accompanied by staminodes
Seeds reniform or subglobose, without endosperm; embryo usually curved
Herbs, shrubs, trees or lianes
Fruit a capsule or a berry
Petals 4 (0, 5, 6 or more)
Style short or absent
Sepals 3–4 (5)
