Trees, evergreen, perennial, dioecious; stems and foliage with watery-white latex, stems often hollow and myrmecophilous. Indumentum of simple or stellate trichomes, glandular trichomes absent, stinging trichomes absent. Stipules entire, inconspicuous, deciduous. Leaves alternate, petiolate, elobate, entire, palmi-or penninerved, glandular at petiole top or below in lateral vein forks. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, unisexual, with flowers in bracteate clusters. Male flowers sessile to pedicellate; calyx lobes 3–6, valvate, partially connate; petals absent; disc 4-or 5-lobed; stamens 5–12, filaments free, spirally arranged on an androphore; anthers peltate, tri-or quadrilobate, thecae elliptic and longitudinally dehiscent; pistillodes absent. Female flowers sessile to pedicellate; calyx lobes 3–6, valvate, shortly connate; petals absent; disc annular; ovary 1–7-locular [subfam. Crotonoideae description gives 2–4-locular, Editor], ovules uniloculate; styles connate into sessile disc. Fruit drupaceous, rounded, indehiscent. Seeds ellipsoid to subglobose; testa hard; albumen fleshy; ecarunculate; cotyledons broad, flat.
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Trees or shrubs, dioecious; indumentum of stellate hairs; branches terete, with prominent pith. Leaves alternate [or opposite]; stipules present; petiole long, junction with leaf blade usually with 2 glands; leaf blade simple, entire; venation pinnate. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate. Male flowers almost sessile, clustered in bract-axils; calyx cupular, 3-5-lobed; petals absent; disk margin shallowly lobed; stamens 5-12 in 2 or 3 series, inserted on raised receptacle; filaments short, free; anthers bilocular; pistillode absent. Female flowers in racemelike inflorescences, sometimes branched; calyx cupular, shallowly 3-5-lobed; petals absent; disk annular; ovary 2-6-locular; ovules 1 per locule; styles very short, confluent into a cap or disk. Fruit a drupe; exocarp slightly fleshy, 2-or 3-locular. Seeds not carunculate.
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