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Trees to 40 m tall, sometimes multistemmed, ±buttressed. Leaves simple; adult leaves mostly verticillate, ±petiolate; margins entire or spinose. Conflorescence simple or in whorls on stalks; pseudo-racemes axillary and/or terminal. Flowers ±slightly zygomorphic, bisexual, each pair subtended by a ±caducous bract; pedicels free. Tepals 4, strap-like, dilated distally, coherent to free, becoming circinately reflexed, cream, cream-brown or pink. Filaments 4, partially adnate to tepals. Anthers 4, with connective slightly exceeding anthers. Hypogynous gland cylindrical, glabrous. Ovary glabrous to sericeous, sessile to shortly stipitate; ovules 2, orthotropous; style terete to slightly quadrate; stigma ovoid, clavate. Fruit a globular follicle, with an apical horn, tardily dehiscent along a ±distinct, longitudinal suture. Seeds globular to broadly ovoid; testa brown, smooth or wrinkled; embryo with cotyledons, cream, globose, sweet, bland or bitter.
Trees or tall shrubs. Lvs verticillate to subopposite, simple, entire or spiny-serrate. Fls in terminal or axillary racemes, small, ☿, pedicellate; bracts small, caducous. Perianth regular or the tube slightly curved; limb clavate, slit laterally by protruding style, finally splitting into 4 recurved segments. Filaments short, inserted c. middle of perianth segments or a little higher; connective produced into a gland or short appendage. Hypogynous glands broad and truncate or forming a ring or cup around ovary. Ovary sessile, usually with reddish hairs; ovules 2; style long and clavate; stigma small and terminal. Fr. nut-like, globular, partially dehiscent with the epicarp splitting longitudinally; endocarp woody, indehiscent. Seed 1-2, large, wingless.
Trees or tall shrubs. Leaves whorled, margin entire or spiny serrate. Inflorescences axillary or sometimes terminal, a raceme or rarely a panicle of flower pairs; bracts of flower pairs early caducous; floral bracts absent. Flower bisexual. Pedicels free. Perianth tube slightly curved; limb segments clavate, free, recurved at anthesis. Stamens inserted slightly below limb; anthers oblong; connective produced into an appendage. Hypogynous glands connate into a cup or ring. Ovary sessile; ovules 2, orthotropous. Style straight or bent, apex clavate; stigma terminal, small. Fruit tardily dehiscent; pericarp thick, hard, leathery. Seed 1 and globose or rarely 2 and hemispheric; cotyledons fleshy.
