Unarmed evergreen trees. Leaves simple, without pellucid gland-dots, glabrous or almost so. Inflorescence of axillary racemes borne singly, their axes (in East African species) so short that the flowers appear to be fasciculate. Flowers hermaphrodite, white or flesh-pink, spirally arranged along the inflorescence-axes; pedicels not jointed at apex; bracteoles small, not enclosing the flower-buds. Sepals 4(–5), imbricate, glabrous. Petals 5, equal or nearly so. Stamens 10; filaments glabrous, free or shortly connate at base; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary stipitate, glabrous to pubescent; stipe shortly adnate along one side to the hypanthium-tube; ovules 1–3; style elongate. Pods stipitate, compressed, boat-shaped, splitting along lower and partially at least along upper suture into 2 coriaceous or subcoriaceous transversely venose valves. Seeds 1 per pod, large, with a thin wrinkled (when dry— ? fleshy when fresh) wall, apparently exareolate.
Home