Tetrorchidium Poepp.

Monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs, quite glabrous or with an indumentum of simple or medifixed hairs. Leaves alternate or opposite, sometimes verticillate, petiolate (sometimes shortly so), stipulate, simple, entire or toothed, penninerved, with or without a pair of glands at the apex of the petiole. Inflorescences subterminal, axillary, lateral or leaf-opposed, solitary, pedunculate or sessile; ♂ inflorescences simple or compoundly spicate or racemiform; ♀ and hermaphrodite inflorescences shortly racemose or umbellate, or ♀ flowers sometimes solitary; bracts minute, biglandular or not at the base, directly subtending the glomerules or flowers, or with a short interval between them. Male flowers minute; calyx-lobes 3(–4), slightly imbricate to subvalvate at first, soon opening, thinly membranaceous, hyaline, each with 4 unequal concavities within; petals 0; disc 0; stamens 3(–4), opposite the calyx-lobes, ± free, filaments very short, anthers erect, basifixed, introrse, peltately 4-thecous, longitudinally dehiscent from the apex downwards on the inner face; pistillode columnar, clavate or 0. Female flowers pedicellate; sepals 3(–4), rarely 4–8, imbricate, herbaceous; petals 0, or rarely 3(–4); disc cupular, or composed of 3(–4) petaloid scales alternate with the sepals (and carpels when equal in number with them); ovary 2–3-locular, with 1 ovule per locule; styles 2–3, free or ± connate, short, flattened, dilated or bifid, spreading or adpressed to the top of the ovary. Fruit 2–3-locular, dehiscing septicidally into 2–3 bivalved cocci, or else loculicidally into 2–3 valves; exocarp smooth; endocarp thinly crustaceous; columella persistent. Seeds globose or ellipsoid, carunculate or not; sarcotesta thin, pigmented; endotesta foveolate, reticulate or echinulate, crustaceous; albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat.