Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Evergreen, deciduous, or semi–deciduous shrubs or trees, often buttressed.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, rarely opposite. Base usually asymmetrical. Margins entire to serrate. Pinnately veined or tripliveined at base. Petiolate. Stipules distinct or connate deciduous as leaves unfold, rarely persistent.

Flowers: Flowers numerous in axillary, cymose to racemose, paniculate inflorescences, bracts minute, caducous. Flowers usually wind–pollinated, bisexual (perfect) or unisexual (and then plants monoecious). Calyx of (2–)5(–9) sepals; sepals distinct or connate. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens as many as and opposite the sepals, rarely twice as many or up to 15, inserted at base of sepals, staminodes present in pistillate flowers; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, 1-celled, sometimes present in staminate flowers but rudimentary; ovule 1 or 1 per carpel, pendulous from apex, anatropous or amphitropous; styles 2, the inner face stigmatic.

Fruit: Nut; samara; or drupe. Seeds with endosperm scanty or absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

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