Santiria Blume

Dioecious trees. Pith of the branchlets usually without vascular strands. Leaves without stipules. Petiole either terete or the upper surface flat or channelled, pith usually with vascular strands. Leaflets entire. Inflorescences usually axillary, rarely truly terminal. Flowers 3-merous. Sepals free or connate. Petals with a usually slightly thickened and inflexed apex. Stamens 6 or 3, glabrous; anthers adnate or basi-to dorsifix. Disk intrastaminal, glabrous. Pistil 3-celled, glabrous, in ♂ flowers usually moderately reduced; stigma (sub)sessile. Fruits drupaceous, usually irregularly globose or ellipsoid, always more or less oblique, stigma excentric, sometimes near the pedicel; pericarp rather thin and solid, very slightly wrinkled when dry; pyrene containing one fertile and 2 sterile cells; endocarp crustaceous, thin; calyx usually persistent, not or slightly enlarged. Seed subglobular; cotyledons pinnate, folded or contortuplicate.

Trees of old, mainly primary, forests at low to medium altitudes, up to 1500 m; on dry to swampy ground.

Uses. Of some species the seeds are edible. The wood of several species is locally used for housebuilding, etc.; it is not of a very good quality.