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Trees, sometimes of great stature, frequently buttressed, rarely shrubs, branch-ing often sympodial. Leaves usually spirally arranged, often crowded in pseudo-whorls at the ends of the branchlets, usually petiolate, entire, often minutely verruculose and pellucid-punctate, often with domatia, frequently with two or more glands at or near the base of the lamina or on the petiole. Flowers actino-morphic, 5-merous (rarely 4-merous) usually in axillary spikes with staminate flowers towards the apex and perfect flowers towards the base of the spike, or all perfect, more rarely in terminal or terminal and axillary panicles; staminate flowers stalked, stalks resembling pedicels but equivalent to the lower receptacle with abortion of the ovary; perfect sessile. Receptacle divided into a lower part (lower receptacle) enclosing and adnate to the ovary and often narrowed above it, and an upper part, often scarcely developed, expanded into a shallow cup terminating in the calyx-lobes. Calyx-lobes deltoid, ovate or triangular. Petals absent. Stamens usually 10, exserted; anthers dorsifixed, versatile. Disk intra-staminal, usually pilose or barbate, sometimes glabrous or poorly developed. Style simple, free, exserted. Ovary completely inferior, unilocular with 2 (rarely 3-4) pendulous ovules of which only one develops. Fruit (pseudocarp) very variable in size and shape, often fleshy and drupe-like, sometimes dry and leathery or corky, often 2-to 5-winged, usually with the endocarp at least partially sclerenchymatous (thus distinguishing it from Combretum).
Trees or rarely shrubs, without scales or microscopic stalked glands. Leaves usually spirally arranged, often crowded at the ends of branches, sometimes on short shoots, rarely opposite, petiolate or subsessile, usually entire but sometimes subcrenate, often with 2 or more glands at or near the base of thelamina or on the petiole (but not in native species). Flowers usually hermaphrodite and ♂ in the same inflorescence (rarely all hermaphrodite), usually in axillary spikes with ♂ flowers towards the apex and hermaphrodite ones towards the base, rarely in terminal panicles; ♂ flowers stalked, stalks resembling pedicels but corresponding to the lower receptacle with abortion of the ovary, hermaphrodite flowers sessile. Receptacle divided into a lower part (lower receptacle) and an upper part, often scarcely developed, expanding into a shallow cup terminating in the sepals. Petals absent. Stamens usually 10, exserted. Disk intrastaminal. Ovary completely inferior; style free, not expanded at the apex. Fruit very variable in size and shape but usually 2-winged in E. Africa, usually with at least partially sclerenchymatous endocarp. Cotyledons (where known) spirally convolute.
Trees or shrubs, from ca. 0.5 m to 60(-70) m, taller ones often with buttresses, rarely spiny; only ‘combretaceous hairs’ present. Leaves spirally arranged, usually clustered at branchlet tips, sometimes with pocket-shaped or bowl-shaped domatia in secondary vein-axils; usually with petiolar glands. Inflorescences axillary lax to congested simple leafless spikes, spikes often clustered at branchlet-ends; bracts very small and caducous. Flowers bisexual or andromonoecious, actinomorphic, sessile, (4-)5-merous; lower hypanthium extended into a usually short 'neck'; upper hypanthium cupuliform to campanulate, deciduous before fruiting or sometimes persistent; calyx lobes (4-)5; petals 0; stamens (8 or)10, usually well exserted, anthers versatile; disk glabrous to densely pubescent; style free, usually exserted, glabrous or pubescent, baselly usually pubescent, glabrous towards apex. Fruit 2-5-winged or-ridged or terete, flattened to actinomorphic, usually dry or spongy, sometimes slightly succulent.
Trees, often very large and buttressed, rarely shrubs. Branches often in tiers. Leaves spiraled, alternate, subopposite, or opposite, often crowded into pseudowhorls at apices of branchlets; leaf blade oblong, elliptic, obovate, or orbicular, hairy or glabrous, often minutely verruculose and translucent dotted (from calcium oxalate crystals), often with domatia, often with 2 or more glands at or above leaf blade base or on petiole. Inflorescences axillary or terminal spikes or racemes, sometimes panicles, with bisexual flowers toward base of inflorescence and male flowers toward apex. Calyx tube proximally broadly cylindric to ellipsoid or ovoid, distally cupular or sometimes scarcely developed; lobes 4 or 5, deltoid or ovate. Petals absent. Stamens 8 or 10. Fruit variable in size and shape, often fleshy and drupelike, sometimes dry and leathery or corky, often longitudinally 2-5-winged, or-ridged, sometimes weakly so; endocarp usually at least partly sclerenchymatous.
Shrubs or trees, usually deciduous. Leaves spirally arranged, often crowded at the end of branches, sometimes pellucid-punctate, petiolate, often with domatia. Flowers 5-merous, sessile in axillary spikes, male flowers towards the tip and bisexual flowers at the base; male flowers with aborted ovary, the lower part of the calyx tube resembling pedicels. Calyx with the lower part of the tube adnate to the ovary, the upper part expanded into a shallowly lobed cup. Petals absent. Stamens 10, exserted. Disc villous. Style free, exserted, absent in some male flowers. Ovules 2. Fruit a pseudocarp, drupe-like with fleshy mesocarp or dry and leathery with lateral wings. See also Du Puy & Telford (1993).
Flowers usually hermaphrodite and male in the same inflorescence (rarely all hermaphrodite), usually in axillary spikes with male flowers towards the apex and hermaphrodite ones towards the base, rarely in terminal panicles; male flowers stalked, stalks resembling pedicels but corresponding to the lower receptacle with abortion of the ovary; hermaphrodite flowers sessile.
Leaves usually spirally arranged, often crowded at the ends of the branches, sometimes on short shoots, rarely opposite, petiolate or subsessile, usually entire but occasionally subcrenate, often with 2 or more glands at or near the base of the lamina or on the petiole (but not in our area).
Receptacle divided into a lower part (lower receptacle surrounding the inferior ovary) and an upper part, often scarcely developed, expanding into a shallow cup terminating in the sepals (or calyx-lobes).
Fruit (pseudocarp) very variable in size and shape but usually 2-winged in our area, usually with an at least partially sclerenchymatous endocarp.
Trees usually small in our area but sometimes very tall elsewhere, or rarely shrubs, without scales or microscopic stalked glands.
Cotyledons (when known) spirally convolute.
Style free, not expanded at the apex.
Stamens usually 10, exserted.
Ovary completely inferior.
Disk intrastaminal.
Petals absent.
