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Trees or shrubs with milky latex produced in bark, stems or petioles. Indumentum containing T-shaped hairs. Branchlets tomentose when young, often ferrugineous. Leaves simple, entire, rarely spinous (not in Australia), alternate or rarely opposite, often clustered towards ends of branches, petiolate, glabrous or hairy; stipules absent or present and caducous or long persistent. Inflorescence fasciculate or flowers solitary, axillary, sometimes ramiflorous or cauliflorous (not in Australia). Flowers actinomorphic, sessile or pedicellate, bisexual or rarely unisexual (not in Australia). Sepals 4–11, free, arranged in 1 or 2 whorls. Petals 4–12, fused, entire or divided into 3 segments. Stamens epipetalous or free, 4–12, opposite corolla lobes, sometimes alternating with a whorl of staminodes; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, mostly 1–6-locular; ovules usually 1 per locule; placentation axile or basal; style simple. Fruit a berry or rarely a drupe (not in Australia) or loculicidal capsule (not in Australia). Seeds 1–several, globose, ellipsoid to strongly laterally flattened, with a distinct detachment scar; testa hard, usually glossy.
Shrubs or trees, deciduous or evergreen, sap milky. Leaves alternate or whorled (fascicled) on short shoots, simple; stipules present or absent; petiole with decurrent, adaxial wing forming channel or groove; blade margins entire; venation pinnate. Inflorescences axillary, fasciculate or solitary flowers at leafy or defoliated nodes on older growth. Flowers bisexual [unisexual]; perianth and androecium hypogynous; sepals [2-]4-8[-11], distinct; petals 4-8[-9], connate proximally, lobes not divided or divided into 1 median and 2 lateral [abaxial] segments, corolla rotate, cyathiform, or tubular; nectary disc present; stamens 4-8[-12], antipetalous, epipetalous; anthers dehiscent by longitudinal slits; pistils 1, [1-]3-12[-30]-carpellate; ovary superior, [1-] 3-12[-15]-locular; placentation axile, basal, or basiventral; ovules anatropous or hemitropous, unitegmic, tenuinucellate; styles 1, terminal, exserted or included; stigmas 1, capitate or slightly lobed. Fruits baccate [capsular]. Seeds 1-10, brown to black, shiny, indurate; hilum prominent; embryo vertical, oblique, or horizontal; endosperm oily or absent.
Trees or shrubs, usually producing latex. Leaves spirally arranged or alternate and distichous, rarely ± opposite, sometimes crowded at apex of branchlets; stipules early deciduous or absent; leaf blade papery or leathery, margin entire. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, usually in sessile axillary clusters, rarely solitary; cluster pedunculate or in raceme-like inflorescence, bracteolate. Calyx a single whorl of usually 4--6 sepals, or 2 whorls each with 2--4 sepals. Corolla lobes as many to 2 X as many as sepals, usually entire, rarely with 2 lacerate or lobular appendages. Stamens inserted at corolla base or at throat of corolla tube, as many as and opposite corolla lobes to many and in 2 or 3 whorls; staminodes when present alternate with stamens, scaly to petal-like. Ovary superior, 4-or 5-locular, placentation axillary; ovules 1 per locule, anatropous. Style 1, often apically lobed. Fruit a berry or drupe, 1-to many-seeded. Seed coat brown (pale yellow in Pouteria annamensis), hard, shiny, rich in tannin; endosperm usually oily; seed scar lateral and linear to oblong or basal and round.
Seeds usually ± compressed–ellipsoid to subglobose, with shiny testa; scar basal, lateral or basilateral, varying in shape and size; endosperm copious or ± absent and cotyledons correspondingly thin and leafy or swollen and fleshy
Stamens oppositipetalous and epipetalous, equalling petals in number or more numerous (not in FZ area), inserted at various levels in the corolla–tube; anthers extrorse or less often introrse, 2–thecous, dehiscing longitudinally
Flowers actinomorphic, hermaphrodite or rarely female by reduction of stamens, usually solitary or in fascicles in leaf axils or on older wood (occasionally plants cauliflorous), very rarely in racemes (not in FZ area)
Leaves stipulate or exstipulate, petiolate, alternate or rarely opposite or subopposite (not in FZ area), simple, entire or very rarely dentate (not in FZ area), very often grouped at ends of branches
Stamens inserted on the corolla, the fertile ones equalling the corolla-lobes and opposite to them, or more numerous and 2-or more-seriate; staminodes sometimes present; anthers opening lengthwise
Ovary superior, syncarpous, conical or suborbicular, usually densely hairy, usually with as many locules as calyx segments but sometimes more or fewer; placentation axile; locules uniovulate
Seeds with a bony, often shining testa, and a large broad hilum; endosperm mostly scanty; embryo large, with small radicle and broad foliaceous cotyledons
Trees and shrubs, very rarely (1 species) a liane, characteristically with latex in all parts; branching pattern often repeatedly subterminal
Indumentum consisting of T–shaped, Y–shaped or medifixed hairs (this is usually apparent only under high magnification; see Tab. 44, fig. 3)
Corolla gamopetalous, the number of lobes equalling that of calyx segments; petals simple or each with two dorsi–lateral petaloid appendages
Distinguished by the woody habit, alternate leaves without or with caducous stipules, and regular flowers, mostly with petaloid staminodes
Staminodes often present, always inserted on the corolla at the base of the sinus between lobes, equalling corolla–lobes in number
Calyx uniSériate, (4) 5 (6)–merous, orbiseriate with 2 + 2, 3 + 3 or 4 + 4 segments, sepals free or shortly united at base
Fruit a berry with sticky, often edible, pulp, or rarely a capsule, several–many–seeded or often 1–seeded
Corolla 4-8-lobed, lobes 1-2-seriate, imbricate, sometimes with petaloid external appendages
Fruit 1-many-celled, often a rather hard berry, rarely a capsule
Ovules solitary in each cell, ascending from the inner axil
Leaves alternate, entire, leathery; stipules usually absent
Trees, shrubs, or rarely climbers, often with milky juice
Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, usually small
Ovary several-celled, superior; style simple
Calyx 4-8-lobed
