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Monoecious or rarely dioecious trees, shrubs, subshrubs or herbs with the stems arising from a thick perennial rootstock. Indumentum simple, sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, crowded and fasciculate or laxly arranged, simple, generally palmatilobed, less commonly pinnatilobed or entire, petiolate or sessile, stipulate, the stipules usually multifid with setaceous segments, sometimes laciniate, sometimes rigid and spiny, and branched or not. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, often corymbiform, dichotomously cymose, androgynous, protogynous, with a solitary ♀ flower terminating each major axis, lateral cymules ♂; bracts usually entire, sometimes glandular-fimbriate. Male flowers: sepals (4–)5(–6), often ± connate at the base, imbricate; petals 5, free or ± coherent and then simulating a gamopetalous corolla, imbricate or contorted, rarely 0, in which case the calyx petaloid; disc entire or composed of 5 free glands; stamens 6–10, rarely more, commonly arranged in 2 distinct whorls (commonly 5 + 3) with those of the outer whorl opposite the petals, filaments partially fused into a column, anthers longitudinally dehiscent, staminodes (when present) filiform; pistillode 0. Female flowers: sepals and petals ± as in the ♂ flowers; staminodes sometimes present; disc annular, 5-lobed or composed of free glands; ovary (1–)2–3(–5)-locular, with 1 ovule per locule; styles connate at the base, spreading, entire or shortly bifid. Fruit usually schizocarpic, ovoid or subglobose, dehiscing septicidally or loculicidally into 3 bivalved cocci, rarely subdrupaceous and ± indehiscent; endocarp crustaceous or indurated. Seeds ovoid or oblong, carunculate, the caruncle often much-divided, testa crustaceous, albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat.
Herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, or trees, perennial, monoecious or dioecious [gynodioecious]; hairs unbranched, sometimes glandular, or absent; latex colorless, cloudy-whitish, yellow, or red. Leaves deciduous or persistent, alternate but sometimes appearing fascicled, simple; stipules absent or present, persistent or deciduous; petiole absent or present, glands absent at apex, sometimes stipitate-glandular along length; blade unlobed or palmately lobed, margins entire, serrate, or dentate, laminar glands absent; venation pinnate or palmate. Inflorescences unisexual or bisexual (pistillate flowers central, staminate lateral), axillary or terminal, cymes or fascicles, or flowers solitary; glands subtending each bract 0. Pedicels present. Staminate flowers: sepals 5, imbricate, distinct or connate to 1/2 length; petals 5, distinct or connate basally to most of length, white, greenish yellow, pink, red, or purple [yellow, yellow-brown, orange, or 2-colored]; nectary extrastaminal, annular and 5-lobed or of 5 glands; stamens [6–]8 or 10 in 1–2 whorls, distinct or connate basally to most of length; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers: sepals 5, imbricate, distinct or connate to 1/2 length; petals 5, distinct or connate basally to most of length, white, greenish yellow, pink, red, or purple [yellow, yellow-brown, orange, or 2-colored]; nectary annular and 5-lobed or 5 glands; staminodes sometimes present; pistil 1–3-carpellate; styles (1–)3, distinct or connate basally to most of length [absent], 2-fid. Fruits capsules, ± fleshy, sometimes tardily dehiscent. Seeds ellipsoid to globose; caruncle present (sometimes rudimentary) or absent. x = 11.
Shrubs or trees, evergreen or deciduous, perennial, monoecious or rarely dioecious; stems and foliage without latex. Indumentum of simple, multicellular trichomes, often glandular, stinging trichomes sometimes present. Stipules multifid or laciniate [entire in J. curcas], conspicuous, deciduous. Leaves alternate, petiolate to sessile, lobate, palminerved, entire or crenate to serrate, glands present at lamina base. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, paniculate, solitary, usually bisexual and androgynous with flowers in bracteate clusters. Male flowers sessile to pedicellate; calyx lobes 4–6, imbricate, connate at base; petals 5, imbricate, free or variously connate; disc entire or of 5 glands; stamens 6–10, filaments partially fused into column and often arranged in two whorls with those in outer whorl opposite the petals; anthers dorsifixed, bilobate, thecae oblong and longitudinally dehiscent; pistillodes absent. Female flowers sessile to pedicellate; calyx lobes 4–6, imbricate, connate at base; petals 5, imbricate, free or variously connate; disc entire or of free glands; ovary 1–5-locular, ovules uniloculate; styles 3, shortly connate at base, simple or bifid. Fruit capsular, trilobate, surface smooth, dehiscing septicidally or loculicidally into 3 bivalved cocci. Seeds ovoid or oblong; testa crustaceous; albumen fleshy; caruncles entire, non-arilloid; cotyledons broad, flat.
Trees, shrubs, subshrubs, or herbs. Stems with laticifers, latex clear, white, or reddish; indumentum simple, sometimes glandular. Stipules persistent or deciduous, entire or setiform, or a series of stalked glands. Leaves alternate, unlobed or palmately lobed or parted, usually with glands at apex of petiole; venation palmate [or pinnate]. Flowers monoecious or dioecious in paniculate dichasia. Male flowers: sepals 5, imbricate, slightly connate at base; petals 5, imbricate, free, sometimes coherent or connate at base; disk glands 5, free or connate into ring; stamens 8-12, sometimes more, in 2-6 series; filaments at least partly connate, sometimes inner filaments connate into a column; pistillode filamentous or absent. Female flowers: sepals 5(or 6), free, imbricate, usually persistent in fruits; disk annular, lobed, or dissected, sometimes with staminodes; ovary 2-or 3(or 4 or 5)-locular; ovules 1 per locule; styles unlobed or bifid, sometimes dilated. Fruits capsular. Seeds carunculate; episperm crustaceous; endosperm fleshy; cotyledon broad and flat.
Male flowers: calyx usually 5-lobed, lobes imbricate; petals 5, free or sometimes laterally coherent, imbricate or contorted; disk usually of 5 free glands; stamens 8 (Flora Zambesiaca area), in 2 fused whorls (5 + 3), outer whorl opposite the petals, anthers dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; pistillode absent.
Female flowers: calyx and petals more or less as in the male flowers; disk annular, 5-lobed, or sometimes of 5 free glands; staminodes (when present) filiform; ovary usually 3-locular, with 1 ovule per loculus; styles usually united at the base, erect or spreading, stigmas 3, usually bifid and somewhat tumid.
Fruit shallowly 3-lobed, dehiscing septicidally into 3 bivalved cocci, less often loculicidally into 3 valves, sometimes subdrupaceous, indehiscent; endocarp crustaceous or slightly woody; columella persistent.
Inflorescences terminal or subterminal, often corymbiform, cymose, androgynous, protogynous, a solitary female flower terminating each major axis, lateral cymules male; bracts entire or glandular-stipitate.
Seeds usually shiny, carunculate, the caruncle usually bifid, fimbriate; testa crustaceous; albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat.
Leaves alternate, stipulate, petiolate or sessile, simple, entire, lobed or partitely divided, penninerved or palminerved.
Monoecious, rarely dioecious, trees shrubs subshrubs or herbs with the stems arising from a thick perennial rootstock.
Stipules subulate, bifid or multifid, usually glandular.
Indumentum simple and/or glandular.
Petioles usually eglandular.
