Shrubs or trees, dioecious, evergreen, unarmed. Trichomes simple and compound (fasciculate, stellate, or scale-like). Buds naked. Leaves alternate, simple. Inflorescences paniculate or racemose, axillary, with flowers in small capitate clusters. Flowers 3-merous. Sepals basally connate, persistent in fruit. Petals distinct, valvate, pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, persistent in fruit. Male flowers: stamens 3; gynoecium rudimentary, pulvinate, with neither functional ovules nor differentiated styles. Female flowers: stamens rudimentary, similar to functional stamens but anthers lacking pollen; gynoecium subapocarpous, 3-carpelled; carpels in ovary without prominent gland; ovules 1 per locule; styles 3, subapical, recurved, each with flattened stigma. Fruit of 1–3 basally connate follicles; exocarp woody, puberulous; abortive carpels persistent; ventral endocarp membranaceous to subfleshy, tearing free from rest of endocarp and ± persistent on seed as an ovate to elliptic piece of tissue; dorsilateral endocarp cartilaginous, glabrous, separate and usually expelled from dehisced fruit. Seeds solitary, expelled from dehisced fruit; testa brown, smooth, ±polished, membranaceous, without sclerotesta; endosperm lacking. Embryo straight; cotyledons plano-convex, elliptic in outline; hypocotyl lateral, considerably narrower than cotyledons.
Home