Small shrubs, unarmed, usually rather succulent; bark often straw-yellow to nearly white, soft, often corky. Raphides present. Leaves opposite, sometimes weakly to markedly anisophyllous, frequently somewhat asymmetrical or falcate, apparently without domatia, often with margins crisped; tertiary venation often closely reticulate and prominulous below and frequently also above; stipules persistent with leaves or caducous, interpetiolar, triangular or sometimes leaflike, often well developed, sometimes with glands. Inflorescences terminal, pseudoaxillary, cauline, or perhaps sometimes axillary, cymose to paniculiform or subcapitate, several to many flowered, pedunculate, bracteate or bracts reduced; bracts sometimes leaflike, sometimes glandular. Flowers pedicellate, bisexual, at least usually distylous. Calyx limb deeply (4 or)5(or 6)-lobed; lobes frequently somewhat unequal, usually with sessile to stalked marginal glands. Corolla yellow or white, tubular, funnelform, salverform, or campanulate, sometimes gibbous at base, inside glabrous or usually pubescent; lobes (4 or)5(or 6), in bud valvate-induplicate. Stamens (4 or)5(or 6), inserted in throat or above middle of corolla tube in short-styled flowers, inserted near base of corolla tube in long-styled flowers; filaments short or reduced; anthers apparently dorsifixed, included or partially exserted. Ovary 2(-5)-celled, ovules numerous in each cell on fleshy axile placentas; stigmas 2(-5), included in short-styled flowers or exserted in long-styled flowers. Fruit white or perhaps brown, baccate or perhaps capsular and irregularly dehiscent, leathery to fleshy or spongy, subglobose, with calyx limb persistent; seeds numerous, small, angled, with testa somewhat granular.
Home