Pentaphylacaceae Engl.

Trees or shrubs, glabrous or with indumentum of unicellular hairs, the hairs sometimes aggregated into fascicules. Leaves alternate, spiral, whorled or distichous, simple, coriaceous, entire or toothed, petiolate; exstipulate. Inflorescence axillary, cymose, fasciculate or flowers solitary; bracteoles 2, persistent or caducous. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual (not in Australia) or unisexual and functionally dioecious, pedicellate, usually 5-merous. Calyx free or basally united, usually thick, concave, usually unequal, persistent in fruit. Petals free or basally united. Stamens 5–many, free or united to corolla; anthers basifixed; staminodes present on female flowers. Gynoecium of (1–) 3–5 (–6) fused carpels. Ovary superior, rarely inferior; ovules (1–) 2–many per carpel, placentation axile; styles 1–3, simple or branched. Fruit a berry, indehiscent, or irregularly dehiscent, or a woody loculicidal capsule. Seeds 1–numerous, aril sometimes present, embryo U-shaped or straight, endosperm slight to copious.