Dioecious trees. Leaves spiral, mostly seemingly distichous, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, mostly entire and abruptly acuminate, triplinerved from the base, penninerved above, the veins not rarely ± cancellate. Stipules mostly minute, linear, caducous, rarely leafy and subpersistent. Flowers small, almost sessile, numerous, in long, terminal or axillary, simple or mostly panicled, ± interrupted, drooping, spike-like racemes, surrounded at the base by a persistent cup formed by a bract and 2 bracteoles. Calyx-tube very short, with 4(-5), distinctly imbricate lobes (sepals). Petals 0. ♂ Flowers: stamens 8(-10), ± exserted, 4(-5) distinctly alternating with the sepals, the other 4(-5) episepalous and inserted at the inner base of the staminodes; anthers minute, ovate-globose, dorsifix. Staminodes episepalous, scale-like, ± flattened, deeply bifid, hairy. Rudiment of the ovary villous, with 3 short styles. ♀ Flowers: similar to the male flowers, but stamens only half the size of the normal ones, not exserted, the anthers without pollen. Ovary ovoid or oblong, sessile, densely hairy, with 3 few-ovuled placentas. Styles 3, short, curved, glabrous; stigmas capitellate or mostly reniform-applanate, ± distinctly bilobed. Capsule 1 mm pedicelled, subglobose to oblong-trigonous, tomentose, 3-valved, with 1-3(-4) seeds; pericarp subcoriaceous. Seeds ellipsoid to subglobose, with a red or yellow, fleshy aril and membranous testa.
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