Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Primarily evergreen trees or shrubs, occasionally lianas, rarely subshrubs or herbs, sometimes epiphytic.

Stems: Sometimes with secretory cells or cavities containing red substances, pubescence of simple, branched, or multicellular and capitate hairs.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves usually simple. Opposite, whorled, alternate, or basal. Surfaces glandular punctate or with schizogenous secretory lines, often glandular pubescent with peltate or capitate multicellular hairs. Margins entire to toothed or lobed or (in the aquatic Hottonia L.) pectinately pinnately divided. Pinnately veined. Petioles present or absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers actinomorphic in axillary or occasionally terminal inflorescences, fascicles, cymes, panicles, head-like, or corymbs, bracteate, but bracteoles absent. Occasionally solitary. Flowers small, bisexual (perfect) or rarely unisexual (and then plants usually dioecious), actinomorphic or nearly so. Calyx of (3)4–5(10) sepals; sepals usually connate at base, occasionally distinct, imbricate, convolute, or valvate, glandular punctate, usually persistent. Corolla of (3)4–5(10) petals, connate or occasionally distinct, when connate, the corolla tubular to rotate, lobes imbricate. Stamens as many as and opposite the petals, adnate to corolla tube; filaments distinct or shortly connate; anthers dithecal, introrse, opening by longitudinal slits or occasionally by apical pores. Ovary superior or rarely partly inferior, 3–5(6)-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation free-central or basal; ovules few to numerous, anatropous to hemitropous; style 1 terminal; stigma unlobed, obscurely lobed, or capitate.

Fruit: Berries; drupes; or capsules dehiscent by valves or occasionally circumscissile; rarely indehiscent. Seeds small; dark colored; with oily flesh or hard endosperm; or larger and without endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: