Shrubs to trees, only plants with one sex observed, but probably monoecious (Radcliffe-Smith 2001). Indumentum mainly absent but simple hairs on ovary/fruit and staminate ‘disc’. Stipules early caducous, minute. Leaves alternate, simple; petiole short, completely slightly pulvinate, transversely cracked when dry; blade with entire margin, caudate, penninerved. Inflorescences axillary fascicles, either with groups of staminate flowers or 1 or 2 pistillate flowers; bracts minute. Flowers pedicellate, actinomorphic, petals lacking, cream to white. Staminate flowers: sepals 4, free, imbricate, in 2 sizes; disc (or receptacle) flat, covering receptacle with holes for stamens, hairy; stamens 10-14, free, anthers between basi-and dorsifixed, 2-thecate, thecae parallel, opening latro-extrorse with lengthwise slits; pistillode very small, pyramidal, up to 0.2 mm high. Pistillate flowers: pedicel elongating in fruit; sepals in 2 differently shaped whorls of 3, imbricate; disc lobes 3, somewhat club-shaped, opposite outer sepals, glabrous; ovary 3-locular, densely sericeous; 2 ovules per locule; style absent, stigmas erect, spade-like, adaxial surface stigmatic. Fruits capsular, dehiscing septicidally and (partly) loculicidally, brown; pedicel elongating up to 7.7 cm, thickening towards apex; wall woody when dry, less than 1 mm thick, glabrescent outside, glabrous inside, exocarp separating from meso-and endocarp via fibrous layer; columella slender, T-shaped, with fibrous covering. Seeds bean-like but triangular in transverse section, exotesta shiny, smooth, without fleshy layer or appendages.
Home