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Shrubs or small trees or occasionally perhaps climbing (Ixora hekouensis), unarmed. Raphides absent. Leaves opposite or rarely ternate, decussate, without domatia; petioles articulate at base; stipules persistent to caducous, interpetiolar or shortly united around stem, triangular, acute to usually aristate. Inflorescences terminal on principal stems [or sometimes terminal on reduced lateral stems and appearing axillary], cymose to corymbiform or paniculiform, few to many flowered, sessile to pedunculate, bracteate or bracts reduced; axes often articulate; bracteoles when present often fused in pairs. Flowers pedicellate or sessile, bisexual, monomorphic, often fragrant. Calyx limb truncate or 4-lobed. Corolla yellow, orange, red, or white, sometimes becoming reddened when dry, salverform with tube slender, inside glabrous or pubescent at throat; lobes 4 [rarely to 9], convolute in bud. Stamens 4, inserted at corolla throat, partially to fully exserted; filaments short or reduced; anthers dorsifixed near base. Ovary 2-celled, ovules 1 in each cell, pendulous from axile placentas attached in upper part of septum; style in upper portion fusiform or clavate; stigmas 2, linear, recurved, exserted. Fruit black or red, drupaceous, leathery or fleshy, subglobose to ellipsoid or ovoid, with calyx limb persistent; pyrenes 2, 1-celled, each with 1 seed, plano-convex or concavo-concave, smooth dorsally (i.e., abaxially), leathery, papery, or crustaceous; seeds medium-sized, ellipsoid to oblanceolate, grooved and concave ventrally (i.e., adaxially); testa membranous; endosperm cartilaginous; radicle terete, hypogeous.
Trees or shrubs. Leaves occasionally ternate, usually thick; petioles occa-sionally wanting; stipules free, usually acuminate. Inflorescences terminal or ax-illary, corymbose, the pedicels of the flowers bracteolate. Flowers variously col-ored, the hypanthium ovoid, the calycine cup 4(-5)-lobed; corolla salverform, slender, the lobes 4-5, contorted; stamens 4(-5), the anthers linear, dorsifixed, exserted; ovarian disc swollen, the style slender, the stigmas 2, exserted, the ovary 2-celled, the ovules solitary, peltately attached to the middle of the septum. Fruits baccate, leathery or fleshy; seeds concave convex, the testa membranous.
Flowers usually fragrant, hermaphrodite, 4(5)-merous, few to many in terminal sessile to long-pedunculate ± lax corymbs or rarely spherical heads; inflorescence branches frequently coloured, pedicels present or absent*; inflorescence-subtending leaves usually smaller and frequently differing in shape from the foliage leaves, but with a fully developed stipule; bracts stipule-like; bracteoles present or rarely absent.
Ovary small, 2-locular (rarely 4-locular outside Africa); placentas fleshy, attached to the top of the septum; ovules solitary, immersed in the placentas; style slender, equalling or slightly exceeding the corolla tube, glabrous or sometimes pilose; pollen presenter exserted, 2-lobed; mature lobes always completely separate, usually recurved, equalling or a little shorter than the anthers.
Corolla white, yellow, pink or red, glabrous outside or rarely pilose; tube cylindrical, usually slender, only slightly widened at the throat, naked or somewhat bearded at throat; lobes contorted to the right in bud, spreading or reflexing, linear to ovate, much shorter than or occasionally equalling the tube in length.
Leaves opposite or rarely ternate, subsessile or petiolate or rarely sessile; mostly entirely glabrous; domatia and bacterial nodules absent (a bacterium causes a leaf spot in some species); petioles articulate (i.e. a joint between stem and petiole is apparent).
Stipule limb truncate to triangular, usually connate for most of the length, bearing a short or long cuspidate or aristate lobe, rarely pubescent inside.
Drupes spherical or 2-lobed, slightly fleshy or coriaceous, containing 1 or 2 pyrenes; pyrenes thin walled, 1-seeded; calyx limb persistent.
Seeds 2, hemispherical, with a deep circular excavation on plane face, convex face sometimes with minute occasionally shiny protuberances.
Calyx tube ovoid; limb short, truncate or more usually 4(5)-toothed, shortly lobed or occasionally with well developed lobes.
Stamens attached at the mouth of the tube; anthers twisted when dehisced.
Shrubs or small trees.
